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Number 92. 



Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. Price 10 Cts. 



Noyember S8, 1879. 



(y 



Copyright, 1878, by Habper & BaoraEBS, 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 

By OCTAVIUS 0. STONE, F.R.G.S. 

DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF A BELOVED FATHER AND MOTHER, BY THEIR SON. 



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HEW GIJEIEA o 



AUSTRALIA 



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CORAZ SEA. 



140 JE. 



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■160' 



PREFACE. 

Before relating my experiences in New 
Guinea, it may not be out of place to state in a 
few words its geographical position, and to give 
the names of some of its explorers. New Guin- 
ea, or Papua, is separated from Cape York, the 
most north-easterly point of Australia, by a shal- 
low strait not more than ninety miles wide, dis- 
covered by Torres in 1606. 

Excepting the continent of Australia, New 
Guinea has been proved by recent survey to be 
the largest island in the world, surpassing in size 
Borneo, which until lately was considered the 
largest. Its superficial area covers a quarter of 



a million square miles, and is therefore larger 
than France. Its extreme length from north- 
west to south-east, lying between 130° 50' and 
151° east longitude, is fifteen hundred miles ; 
its greatest width, extending between a latitude 
twenty miles south of the equator and 10° 40' 
south, is four hundred miles, while at one point, 
at Geelvink Ba}', it is only twenty miles wide. 

The first discovery of the island is claimed both 
by the Portuguese and Spaniards ; it is, however, 
on record that the Portuguese commanders An- 
tonio Abreu and Francisco Serram sighted its 
coast about the year 1511. The next record is 
that of Don Jorge de Meneses, the Portuguese 
Governor of Ternate, who was driven by con- 



trary winds and currents upon its shores in 1526 ; 
and it was not until two years later that the 
Spanish captain Alvaro de Saavedra, returning 
to Mexico from the Moluccas, coasted for a 
month along the north of New Guinea, where he 
"cast anchor in a great gulf near certain islands," 
which he called the Islas del Oro, supposing them 
to contain gold. The next .account is given by 
the survivors of an expedition despatched fi-om 
Peru, under Gonzalvo and Alvarado, in 1537, 
the former of whom was killed in a mutiny, 
while the latter was obliged to ab.indon his sliip 
owing to its crazy condition, and landed with 
some sailors at Papua ; and those who did not 
die of hunger were rescued by the illustrious x\n- 



tonio Galvano, and eventnally arrived at the 
Moluccas. Thej' said, " The people on all these 
lands are black, and have their hair frizzled, 
whom the people of the Maluco do call Papuas." 
The term Papua is a corruption of the Malay 
words pua-pua, signifying curly or woolly, and 
was first applied to the inhabitants on account 
of their hair. In 1546, the Spanish navigator 
Ynigo Ortez de Eetes sailed in the ship San Juan 
along the northern coast of the island, and be- 
lieving it to be a newly discovered land he called 
it Nueva Guinea, from the supposed resemblance 
of its inhabitants to those on the African Guinea 
coast. In 1616 Schouten sighted the north-east 
coast of New Guinea ; and in 1643 the famous 
.Portuguese navigator Tasman visited the noi;th 
coast. The Dutch traveller Keyts mentions 
New Guinea in the account of his expedition in 
1678 ; but Luis Vaes de Torres, the Spanish 
navigator, had sailed between New Guinea and 
Australia seventy-two years before ; and when, 
in 1762, Manilla was taken by the British, and 
Dalrymple found Torres's letter to the King of 
Spain describing his discoveries, the straits were 
named after him. In the year 1700 our coun- 
tryman Dainpier saw the coast, and sailed be- 
tween it and New Britain, and the straits were 
named after him. It was not, however, till the 
year 1770 that Captain Cook first sui-veyed the 
passage through Torres Straits, in his ship the 
Endeavor, but on account of the hostility of the 
natives he did not land. In 1 774, Thomas For- 
rest, an English officer, was sent by the East In- 
dia Company to see if spices were to be found in 
the possessions claimed by the Dutch, which ter- 
ritory includes that part of the island lying west 
of 141° east longitude, and he landed at Dorey, 
to the north-west of New Guinea, in the Tartar 
Galley. About the year 1824 the French natu- 
ralist Lesson visited New Guinea in the ship 
Coqmlle, but only remained a few days ; and in 
1826 Lieutenant KolfF, a Dutch surveyor, took 
some observations along the south-west coast ; 
and two years later the Netherlands Government 
built a fort, called Du Bus, in Triton's Bay, 
which was shortly afterward abandoned on ac- 
count of the climate. In 1844, Captain Black- 
wood, in H.M.S. Fly, made a survey in the 
neighborhood of the Papuan Gulf, terminating 
east of Aird's Eiver, the details of which are nar- 
rated in an interesting manner by Mr. Jukes, in 
"The Voyage of the Fly;" and in 1846, Lieu- 
tenant Yule, in H.M. schooner Bramble, contin- 
ued the survey to a point whence he saw the lofty 
mountain which now bears his name. Two 
years later. Captain Owen Stanley, in H.M.S. 
Rattlesnake, accompanied by the Bramble, com- 
menced a four months' survey of the south-east 
peninsula, and the great Mount Owen Stanley 
range, the highest point of which is estimated at 
13,205 feet above the sea, was named after him. 
In 1858 some slight knowledge regarding the 
south-west and north coasts, up to 141° east 
longitude, was obtained through the Scientific 
Commission sent by the Netherlands Govern- 
ment ; and as recently as 1873 Captain Moresby, 
in H.M.S. Basilisk, carried out a running survey 
of about two hundred and seventy-five miles of 
the south-east coast. 

One of the most eminent explorers of our own 
day, and the first white man who has ever resided 
in New Guinea, is Alfred Russel Wallace, who 
in 1858 spent about three months at Dorey, 
where he found several new species of birds-of- 
paradise, and his work, entitled "The Malay 
Archipelago," gives some interesting informa- 
tion respecting that part of the country and the 
adjoining East Indian islands. Until my own 
visit, no English explorer except Wallace had 
resided in that terra incognita, although it had 
been discovered more than three hundred and 
fifty years before. But Scotland has been wor- 
i thily represented by my friend Samuel Macfar- 
lane, the missionary, who may be admired for his 
daring spirit as much as beloved for his goodness, 
and in whose company my first journey to New 
Guinea was made ; and also by Mr. Lawes. 
Among the few foreigners who have resided in 
that part of the world are Miklukho Maklay, 
from Eussia, who in 1871 landed at Astrolabe 
Bay ; the Italian naturalists Signor d'Albertis 



A PEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 

and Beccari, who in 1872 explored the neighbor- 
hood of Dorey; Dr. A. B. Meyer, from Ger- 
many, who explored the whole coast of Geelvink 
Bay and its islands in 1873 ; and, lastly. Dr. 
James, fiom America, who, with a Swede named 
Karl Thorngren, was murdered by the natives 
on the main-land opposite Yule Island, in the 
south-east of New Guinea, so late as 1876, about 
a month after I left. 

With so many competitors in the field, it seems 
strange that, until the last few years, no one 
should have succeeded in journeying more than 
fifteen miles inland ; and though this distance 
has now been much exceeded, a vast area still 
remains unexplored. 

So little being known of the country, I have 
been induced to publish a short account of the 
few months I spent in New Guinea ; and for its 
many defects, of which I feel conscious, I must 
claim the indulgence of my readers. 



liK.' 



CHAPTER L 



VOYAGE UP THE MAIKASA, OR BAXTEE EIVEK. 

I HAD spent several pleasant weeks at the 
house of my friend Mr. Macfarlane, head of the 
New Guinea Mission, whose residence was at 
Somerset, near Cape York, to the north-east of 
Australia, and had been occupied in hunting in 
the neighborhood and cruising about Torres 
Straits, when, hearing of a river, whose mouth 
was said to be two miles wide, on the opposite 
shore of New Guinea, only ninety miles across 
the straits, we determined to sail to the unknown 
region, and explore the river. 

We accordingly left Somerset in the little 
steamer Ellengowan, on the 25th of August, 
1875, accompanied by four South Sea Islanders 
in the employ of the London Missionary Society, 
and arrived off the island of Boigu on the 30tli. 
A great part of the channel had not been sur- 
veyed, and many hidden reefs and sand-banks not 
marked on our chart caused the navigation to be 
one of considerable risk and difficulty, though 
when it becomes better known a suitable passage 
for large vessels will probably be found. Sever- 
al times we were near running upon a reef, but, 
owing to Captain Runcie's able management and 
vigilance, we succeeded in avoiding such a catas- 
trophe. A low line of mangrove-trees, rising ap- 
parently from the sea, marked the coast of New 
Guinea, or Koi-lago, the Big Land, as it is called 
by the islanders (the name Daud€ is also given 
to it by some of the aborigines). Nothing could 
look less inviting than the flat plain before us, 
with what appeared to be great swamps extend- 
ing we knew not how far inland ; nevertheless, 
our anxiety to explore these unknown regions 
made us impatient of delay. 

The afternoon of our arrival at Boigu, a small 
island, about nine miles in length, off the coast 
of New Guinea, we sailed in a little boat to the 
mouth of the newly discovered river, a mile wide, 
called the Maikasa, or Pearl River. A couple 
of canoes were staked to the bank, and we ob- 
served smoke arising from among the trees ; so 
we landed, and found about a dozen men, natives 
of Boigu, who presented us with some cocoa-nuts 
and yams. They had caught a dugong, a large 
fish, weighing several hundred-weight, and were 
cooking it in pieces, over a wood fire made upon 
a low heap of stones. They were acquainted 
with one of the native teachers, and seemed glad 
to see us, offering us a hearty welcome in their 
rough kind of way. They were perfectly naked, 
but many of them wore a pearl-shell breast oina- 
ment, or mairi, suspended by a red string from 
their necks ; their ears were pierced all round, 
and artificially elongated, strings bearing small 
tassels being passed through the holes. Several 
wore wigs, like mops, having shaved their heads 
by means of pieces of shell or glass. 

When the dugong was cooked, the men clus- 
tered around, scraping it with oyster -shells or 
with their fingers, and afterward sucking them 
with evident relish. They offered us a portion, 
which we did not disdain to accept, and found 
very good, tasting something like veal. They 
told us of an immense bird, found up the river, 



740 

which " can take a dugong in its claws, and turn 
over turtle;" but, knowing how greatly exag- 
gerated and little reliable the statements of the 
natives usually are, we felt very incredulous. 

The macapodium, or wild fowl, must be abun- 
dant, as we saw several of the enormous nests made 
by this bird, one of which measured eight feet 
high, and fifty feet round the base ! They are 
composed of soil and decayed vegetation, which, 
when it becomes heated by the sun, hatches the 
eggs, laid a few feet below the top of the nest. 
Ducks are plentiful in the swampy portions of 
Boigu, and are so tame as to be easily shot, and 
some of these formed our evening repast. Pig- 
eons, doves, paroquets, white cranes, and the most 
magnificent butterflies, made nature gay with 
song and color. Land shells like snail shells, as . 
well as snakes and lizards, abound. 

The most beautiful flower I noticed was the 
hibiscus, excepting perhaps the crimson clusters 
of bloom on a flowering tree, a species of erethri- 
na. Sharks are plentiful in the waters, and du- 
gongs are speared almost daily by tlie natives, 
who erect bamboo perches over the river, seated 
on which, they await a favorable opportunity for 
launching forth their barbed spears into the fin- 
ny monster. 

On the 1st of September all preparations were 
concluded for the ascent of the river, and at low- 
water we raised anchor, but soon ran upon one 
of the numerous sand-banks lying between Boigu 
and New Guinea, and there remained until the 
rising tide floated us off again. We had no fur- 
ther mishap, and entered the Maikasa at 2.30 in 
the afternoon. It was' a moment of intense ex- 
citement w-hen we entered this unknown land 
and first sailed upon the noble river, whose banks 
had never re-echoed to the sound of a steam-en- 
gine, and whose waters had never before been 
ruffled by a revolving screw. 

We saw smoke rising in large volumes a couple 
of miles off, but no other signs of life were visi- 
ble. On either side was an interminable forest 
of mangrove-trees, growing on the flat swampy 
land ; so level that the highest ground was only 
a few feet above high- water. 

Early next morning we sent the men on shore 
to cut wood. They discovered fresh footprints, 
and smoke was again visible afar off, but no vil- 
lage, nor even hut, and not a single native did 
we see. The stillness of the scene was almost 
painful, and was only broken by the occasional 
scream of a passing bird, except for which (and 
we scarcely saw a dozen during the day) all was 
silent as the grave. Even the countenance of an 
alligator would have been welcome, but not one 
appeared to relieve the death-like solitude. At 
last, when we had gone about thirty miles, we be- 
held, almost to our astonishment, a native leisure- 
ly paddling a canoe ; but he stopped, as though 
thunderstruck, on seeing "the great machine" 
advancing toward him ! We gave orders to 
steam full speed, so as to catch him, if possible, 
before he could gain the bank ; but the faster we 
steamed, the faster he paddled, and when he 
found it impossible to reach the opposite bank in 
time, he turned back in evident terror, staked his 
canoe to a bamboo, and ran off inland. 

The Daude' Papuans, as tlie natives of this part 
of New Guinea are called, are said to be canni- 
bals ; they lead a roving life, hunting with the 
bow and arrow, and fishing with nets and spears. 
The country is very thinly inhabited; the mala- 
ria during the rainy season, and the heavy night- 
dews during the dry, create a most unhealthy at- 
mosphere. Indeed, I am led to understand that 
one single night spent on shore here at some sea- 
sons is quite sufficient to give a European the 
fever. Notwithstanding this, the climate, while 
travelling by boat, was agreeable enough. The 
temperature seldom exceeded 87° in the shade 
at noon, or 70° earlier or later in the day ; but 
this was in September, their spring-time of year. 

When we had steamed nearly fifty miles up 
the river, we found it separated into two streams, 
and as we were sailing round into one, the current 
was so strong that one of our small boats came 
in contact with the screw-propeller and sunk. It 
was raised with considerable difficulty, but was 
rendered useless for the remainder of the voyage. 
Fortunately we still had another life-boat with us, 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



>j or our journey must have come to an untimely 
"' end. The next morning, while the men went 
in search of fuel, we landed to explore the neigh- 
borhood. I sowed some water-melon seeds near 
the river, and we walked a mile inland, until we 
came to tracts of swampy land. We noticed 
traces of wild-boar, and evidence of the recent 
presence of natives was afforded by the charred 
trunks of trees, which must have been burnt not 
long before ; vegetation was prolific, but a few 
birds, butterflies, and dragon-flies were the only 
living things we saw. 

Shortly before noon we were again winding up 
the river, and that it was a river, and not merely 
a salt-water creek, we were convinced by the in- 
dications of the salinometer, which sunk lower 
and lower as we proceeded. At length we pass- 
ed a hut, but it was untenanted. Beautiful palna- 
ferns rose here and there from the water's edge 
to a height of thirty feet, giving a very tropical ap- 
pearance to the landscape. 

We succeeded in making our way with com- 
parative ease as far as about sixty -four miles 
from the mouth of the river ; but here we were 
compelled to cast anchor at a place wliere the 
waters again divide into two channels, each being 
too narrow to admit of our steamer turning in it. 
After sounding both streams, we went in a small 
boat a short distance up the deepest, the most 
easterly of the two, which averaged two and a 
half fathoms deep at low-water. On one of the 
banks we found good drinking water, with which 
we were glad to fill our casks. Near the spot 
where we cast anchor, which we named Wood 
Bay, was a bark hut, with the remains of a fire 
and the bones of a kangaroo, off which the na- 
tives had probably dined. These shelters afford 
homes to people roving from place to place, and 
are used as temporary dwellings while they stay 
to hunt game. 

As we continued our course, the water became 
suflSciently fresh to drink, the mangrove-tree al- 
most disappeared, and the beautiful Nipa palm 
became more abundant, and formed graceful fes- 
toons overhead as we rowed along beneath its 
overhanging leaves. On the swampy land around 
grow tall forest trees, one hundred feet high, 
with reeds and scrub underneath. Noticing some 
trees that had recently been fired, we landed, and 
wending our way through tall grass, nearly as 
high as ourselves, came to a well- constructed 
fence, made of branches of trees, enclosing about 
six acres of land. On this ground, part of which 
was dug over, were planted yams, sugar - cane, 
and, what I least of all expected to have seen, to- 
bacco. It was the first and last piece of culti- 
vated land we came across during our whole 
journey. We hang up a looking-glass and knife 
to astonish and delight the natives on their re- 
turn. 

About two miles beyond, a stream of fresh- 
water falls over the bank into the river, which 
dwindles here to a width of only sixty feet, and 
we named this place Cascade Point. 

On returning to the steamer, I arranged with 
Mr. Macfarlane for the use of the life-boat on the 
following day. I started at three a.m., accompa- 
nied by the engineer of the Ellengowan and two 
of the Polynesian teachers, and the sun had 
scarcely risen when we arrived at Cascade Point. 
As we proceeded, birds, which had hitherto been 
so scarce, became numerous. Cockatoos, parrots, 
pigeons of various kinds, kingfishers, and many 
others of the feathered tribe, flew about in every 
direction, and gave an air of life to the locality, 
an agreeable contrast to the deserted character 
of the district we had passed nearer the coast. 
We shot some lavender -colored pigeons, twice 
the ordinary size. These were very numerous, 
and we greeted the first appearance of the beau- 
tiful bird- of- paradise with feelings of great de- 
light. 

The river zigzagged more and more, and be- 
came still narrower, until, at about ninety miles 
from its mouth, our boat was effectually blocked 
by trunks of trees, snags, branches, and other im- 
pediments, and it was impossible to proceed an 
inch farther. We returned to the nearest suita- 
ble landing-place, and spent the remainder of the 
day in shooting birds-of- paradise, the Paradisea 
raggiana, which were very numerous and in full 



plumage. Unacquainted with the sound of a gun, 
they knew no fear, and constantly settled on some 
tall tree near me, but owing to the dense upper 
foliage it was difficult to detect them ; they how- 
ever only remain a few moments on one tree, and 
then fly off to another. Their whereabouts may 
be known by their peculiar whistle, resembling 
that of a man to his dog. 

As we were walking in the high grass, we shot 
a boa-constrictor eighteen feet long. A large 
protuberance in its body, nearly half a yai-d 
across, we found to be caused by a kangaroo, 
swallowed whole, in a highly decomposed state, 
and the stench was horrible. 

Surrounded as we were by forest, it was im- 
possible to see any great distance, but as far as 
we saw the whole country appeared a level plain. 
I buried a Bass's pale-ale bottle, enclosing a pa- 
per giving the date of our visit, before we set out 
on our return. 

As we rode back, night stole across our path ; 
but the darkness was relieved by thousands of 
fire-flies, glittering with their tiny light, flying 
from shrub to shrub, or congregated upon cer- 
tain trees which appeared to have a peculiar at- 
traction for them. Such was their brightness 
that, at first, we were actually deluded into the 
belief that we saw a fire at a distant bend of the 
river, but on coming nearer we found it was only 
one of these trees lit up with these little living 
fires. Reflected in the dark waters beneath, it 
formed a natural illumination of great beauty. 

After a long day we reached the steamer in 
safety, and were greeted with a tune on a barrel- 
organ which we had brought, thinking it might 
please some of the natives ; but only the one 
man, who ran away before we could reach him, 
had we seen during the whole of our journey. 
The next evening we anchored off the mouth of 
the river, to which we now gave a new name, 
calling it the Baxter, in honor of Miss Baxter 
of Dundee, the kind donor of our little vessel, 
the Ellengowan, by means of which we had been 
enabled to penetrate farther into the interior of 
that great unknown land than any previous ex- 
pedition. 

CHAPTEE II. 

SECOND EXPEDITION TO NEW GUINEA. — IN 
PERIL. VISIT ROKO. 

On returning to Australia from the Maikasa, 
or Baxter River, September 12th, 1875, we found 
the Chevert Expedition, which had left Sydney 
in May, with the object of exploring the Ely 
River, already returned to Somerset, having been 
unable to reach even the mouth of the river. 
This was owing, in a great measure, to their 
having attempted to make the expedition during 
the south-east monsoon, which blows remorse- 
lessly against the western coast of the Papuan 
Gulf, and makes it difficult for a sailing vessel 
either to avoid the reefs and shallows that abound 
near the shores, or suddenly to retrace her course. 
Before going on our voyage of discovery up the 
Baxter, I had ordered a firm at Brisbane to send 
me a quantity of goods and some black natives, 
called Kanakas, the assistance of whom I con- 
sidered essential to insure the success of my 
proposed travels in the peninsula of New Guinea. 
I had particularly requested that they should be 
forwarded to Somerset by a certain steamer, as 
my only chance of reaching that country was by 
the missionary vessel wliich went there at dis- 
tant intervals. A letter had been received in my 
absence from the firm (which I afterward learned 
was laboring at the time under pecuniary diffi- 
culties), saying that they regretted not having 
all the goods precisely as ordered, and therefore 
awaited my reply, although in a previous letter 
they had promised they should be forwarded 
without fail by the time named. There being 
no telegraphic connection with Somerset, and 
only a monthly mail either north or south, it 
was evidently too late to reply and to receive 
the goods from Brisbane before the departure 
of the Ellengowan. There certainly did exist 
a little shanty in Somerset that went by the 
name of a " store," where a few things were pro- 
curable at a high rate ; but I was literally in 
want of everything, from fire-arms and ammu- 
nition down to food, pins, and needles. 



As the Chevert was about to return to Sydney, 
I fully hoped to be able to purchase at least the 
most necessary articles from her ; but in this I 
was destined to disappointment, notwithstanding 
she was laden with the very things that I most 
required. 

Eor the moment I imagined my fondest hopes 
crushed, and had it not been for the disinterested 
kindness of my friend the Rev. S. Macfarlane, the 
missionary at Somerset with whom I was stay- 
ing, who came to the rescue and fitted me out as 
well as he could, both from his own private stores 
and those of the mission, I must certainly have 
given up my long-anticipated visit to the south- 
east peninsula of New Guinea. Intelligence now 
reached us of the break-down of the steamship 
Bowen, from Sydney, by which my men and 
some more goods for the mission station were 
expected; but when, at the expiration of a fort- 
night, we saw a steamer coming from the south, 
we hoped it was the looked-for vessel, and great 
was our delight. However, it proved not to be 
the Bowen, but an auxiliary steamer carrying 
only mails. Another fortnight's delay was now 
necessary, for it was not till the 1 9th of October 
that the long-expected and anxiously awaited 
vessel hove in sight. The missionary supplies 
were on board, and a letter was handed me stat- 
ing that no men could be procured willing to 
act as my baggage-carriers in New Guinea. No- 
men can possibly be obtained in Somerset, as the 
pearl-shell fishers are in continual want of hands, 
and snatch up any odd man almost before he 
quits another's service. One only hope remain- 
ed, and that was to obtain some natives from 
Erub (Darnley Island) on our way; but this 
also was destined to be unfulfilled. I had al- 
ready engaged, to assist me, the services of a Mr. 
Lawrence Hargrave, and of Messrs. Petterd and 
Broadbent, the latter two being well-known tax- 
idermists and collectors. 

Both Hargrave and Petterd had been formerly 
members of the Chevert Expedition, and were 
glad to have an opportunity of revisiting a land 
they had scarcely seen ; while Broadbent, who 
happened to be making collections of natural 
history in Somerset, was no less pleased to ac- 
company me to a country that was then creating 
so universal an interest. 

The members of my expedition, therefore, only 
numbered three besides myself; and I could not 
help feeling that with this small number, and 
without proper carrying power, it would be use- 
less to expect to penetrate far into the interior 
of a country where the natives were generally be- 
lieved to be ferocious and unwilling to render any 
assistance. But the arrival of the Bowen, and 
the loading immediately afterward of the mission- 
ary steamer, gave little time for reflection, and 
having been kindly promised a passage with my 
party, and having purchased the most requisite 
articles for at least three months' residence in 
New Guinea, I decided upon going. That night 
the little Ellengowan was six inches lower in the 
water, and on the following day all was again 
bustle and commotion, as the rowing-boat, time 
after time, put off from the shore to the steamer, 
filled with bags of flour, rice, preserved meats, 
chests of clothes, and other sundries, so that at 
sunset all was in readiness for her departure. 
These necessaries of life are distributed among 
the few natives of Polynesia who have been lo- 
cated by the London Missionary Society as teach- 
ers at various places on the coast of New Guinea 
and adjoining islands. The evening was pleas- 
antly spent by myself and party (Captain Runcie 
of the Ellengowan also being present) at the rev- 
erend missionary's house, where we took supper, 
after having first offered up prayers for our fut- 
ure safety and welfare. At a somewhat late 
hour we bade farewell, and found ourselves on 
board the steamer, where we slept that night, so 
as to be ready for an early start in the morning. 

The sun rose brightly in a clear sky on the 
morning of October 21st, and the gentle breeze 
scarcely disturbed the mirror-like surface of the 
sea as we raised anchor and steamed out of 
Albany Pass. We anchored the first night at 
Erupa (Village Island), and the second at Erub 
(Darnley Island). 

After leaving Erub, we soon passed the Great 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



Barrier Reef which divides Torres Straits and ' 
the Inner Route from the Coral Seas. 

Since morning, clouds had been gathering, and 
the breeze had freshened considerably. The dis- 
tance from Erub to Roro* (Yule Island) is one 
hundred and eighty miles in an easterly direc- 
tion, and should have been accomplished in thir- 
ty-six hours, even by our slow little vessel ; but 
the wind increased to such an extent, and the 
current became so strong, that at the close of 
the second day after leaving Erub she had drifted 
some forty miles to leeward. 

Her course was altered, and the whole of that 
night we hammered away due in the face of a 
heavy sea, and it was not until morning that Roro 
^^■as sighted, twenty miles off. We then confi- 
dently expected to reach it by evening ; the wind 
increased so much, however, that we scarcely 
maile any progress, and at nightfall were still 
some miles distant, and were only five from the 
main-land, where the rocks lise precipitously from 
the water. Every hour of the day had been anx- 
iously counted, but from nine o'clock to noon not 
an inch of progress was perceptible. As we could 
not anchor to the leeward of Roro, fearing to 
be washed by the force of the wind and current 
against the shore, we passed another anxious and 
fearful night in the utmost suspense. A violent 
gale now blew, and we were constantly expect- 
ing one of the huge waves that rocked our little 
vessel like a cockle-shell upon the briny deep to 
swamp her with one fell swoop. Providence, 
however, guided her safely over the troubled wa- 
ters, and after a sleepless night Roro was again 
sighted, ten miles to the north, and by mid-day 
we entered Hall Sound, which divides the island 
from the main-land of New Guinea, two miles 
distant. During the three days and a half, and 
three nights, we had been constantly steaming 
since leaving Erub, neither Captain Runcie nor 
the engineer had obtained any sleep; and the 
latter had been acting as stoker, one of our col- 
ored stokers being too ill to attend. It may ea- 
sily be imagined that all were completely knocked 
up, and most thankful for such a timely deliver- 
ance from so perilous a voyage. 

The EUengowan is a good little sea-going ves- 
sel, but her engine is one of only sixteen-horse 
power, and both that and her sailing powers 
might be enlarged with advantage. The sudden 
squalls which spring up in these seas, especially 
during the south-east monsoons from April to 
November, render a voyage in a small vessel 
across the Gulf of Papua one not wholly free 
from danger, and none should attempt it at that 
season of the year but those who are prepared 
for a sudden change from calm to tempest. 

Signor d'Albertis, the Italian naturalist, who 
had been six months on the island, shortly came 
on board. In company with Beccari he had pre- 
viously spent some time in the neighborhood of 
Mount Arfak, to the north-east of New Guinea, 
and he added considerably to our knowledge re- 
specting its fauna and avifauna. He appears to 
be a man of about forty years of age, slightly 
above the average height, with a commanding 
person. His beard, hair, and mustaches are long 
and jet-black, his eyes black and penetrating, and 
his complexion sallow and sunburnt. He wore 
a loose blue cotton jacket and trousers, without 
donbt a very suitable dress for the place. Tight- 
fitting clothes are unhealthy and unbearable in 
so hot a climate, keeping one in a perpetual state 
of perspiration and uneasiness. I think, how- 
ever, that white or blue serge is the best materi- 
al for hard travelling in tropical countries, and I 
should always recommend one or the other. 

From the sea Roro presents a beautiful ap- 
pearance, reminding one of an English park, with 
its patches of trees and verdant slopes. It is 
about five miles long by two wide, and is crossed 
by two rows of hills with a fertile valley between. 
A large portion of the country is covered Avith 
coarse green grass, which at this season of the year 
is from four to five feet in height ; and the re- 
maining portion (about one-third) with forest and 
scrub, t The latter is generally found toward 



* Also called Laval. 

t Low or stunted bushes growing beneath the shade 
of tall forest trees. 



the summits of the hills and around the coast, 
while forest-trees adorn the whole island. The 
land rises to an elevation of about four hundred 
feet above the sea on the south-eastern side, and 
slopes gradually to the opposite shore, where it 
becomes more wooded. It contains four princi- 
pal villages, with a probable total population of 
five hundred, the inhabitants of which own small 
patches of cultivated land, producing bananas, 
yams, taros, and sugar-cane. Wild yams are 
also found, but they have scarcely any taste, and 
are stringy, like pulp. 

The formation is sedimentary, composed chief- 
ly of a coarse and compact conglomerate of cor- 
als and recent shells, but much of the soil on the 
lower levels is a rich alluvium. Good fresh- 
water streams intersect the island in various di- 
rections, and nothing is required but an enlight- 
ened people to make of it a garden of plenty, and 
a charming residence. Cocoa-nuts are obtained 
from the main-land, but are imported so frugally 
that I found it almost an impossibility to obtain 
one. Indeed, such exorbitant prices are asked 
that the natives would not offer me one at first 
for anything of less value than a hatchet ; and 
any description of their vegetable produce is dif- 
ficult to obtain, even bananas, though they grow 
in abundance. 

I found red beads, red serge, and fish-hooks 
the most useful articles of barter at Roro, where- 
as tobacco was quite at a discount, although 
much prized by the Ilema tribe to the north, and 
by the Motu tribe to the south. This struck me 
as an astonishing fact ; but as civilization spreads 
so sure will the use of the fragrant weed among 
the Maiva tribe. Pearl-shells are the most val- 
uable things in their eyes, and a single one will 
sometimes purchase a canoe. 

The men dig the ground with great rapidity, 
in gangs of a dozen or more together, by means 
of poles eight feet long, pointed at one end, and 
then fence it neatly round to prevent the en- 
croachment of wild-boars. These fences are six 
feet high, composed of sticks placed upright in 
the earth five or six inches apart, tied near the 
top to creepers, running parallel with the ground. 
The enclosures vary in size from five to thirty 
acres, those natives who have constructed and 
planted them sharing the produce. On our first 
arrival, some of the natives, both men and wom- 
en, came off in canoes in hopes of selling their 
body ornaments, which are neither numerous nor 
handsome, though on great occasions they deco- 
rate their bodies all over, and come out great 
swells in their way. None are entirely naked, 
though they wear nothing more than a strip of 
bark or a fringe. The men have belts three 
inches wide, so tightly fastened round the waist 
as to bulge the fiesh out above and below, the 
skin underneath being bruised by constant press- 
ure and friction. By so doing the waist is con- 
tracted into the least possible compass, like that 
of European ladies in the nineteenth century. 
They wear as ornaments netted armlets, brace- 
lets," anklets, various sorts of necklaces, the pearl- 
shell, or mairi, over the chest (common more or 
less throughout the whole of New Guinea and 
adjoining islands), nose and ear ornaments, and 
a frizzing-pin with two or more prongs like a 
fork stuck in the hair. This latter answers the 
twofold purpose of hair-frizzer and head-scratch- 
er. The hair grows long and frizzy, projecting 
from six to nine inches all round the head ; and 
almost all, especially the younger and vainer 
among them, part it across the cranium from ear 
to ear, bringing it over the forehead in front, and 
doing it up into a sort of chignon behind. The 
pure Papuan is of a different type, having short, 
crisp, and invariably curly hair, and complexion 
approaching black; whereas that of the Roro 
natives is of several intermediate shades, from 
that of the dark Papuan to that of the light Ma- 
lay. This difference may be attributed to inter- 
marriages that have from time to time taken 
place among the Papuan aborigines and the 
Mahori invaders — a collective name adopted by 
Mr. Ranken for the brown eastern Polynesian 
race. The features of the lighter among them 
are the most regular and pleasing, and they seem 
more intelligent and industrious. Some of the 
younger men have actually pretty faces — a term 



that I have never before applied to the sterner 
sex — they might easily be mistaken for women, 
but the manner of dressing their hair and nar- 
rowing their body artificially no doubt adds 
somewhat to their naturally effeminate features. 
Physically speaking they are muscular and ath- 
letic in appearance, but somewhat slightly built, 
and low of stature. Food other than vegetable 
is very scarce on the island, but both kangaroos 
and wild pigs are plentiful on the main-land, to 
which hunting parties frequently resort. The 
chief village of Roro is situated on the southern 
coast, the houses of which are scattered irreg- 
ularly at several hundred yards' distance from 
each other. I measured one that appeared to 
be of the average size, and found it eighteen feet 
long, twelve feet wide, and thirteen feet from the 
ground to the top of the double sloping roof. 
The floor was raised three feet above the ground, 
constructed of the stalks of the sago palm laid 
side by side, while the framework was made of 
sticks and poles with palm-leaves laid obliquely 
on the roof and sides in double layers, resem- 
bling lattice-work. Generally both ends are left 
open — in all cases one ; sometimes they are par- 
titioned off across the centre, leaving space on 
either side for separate families to live in. As a 
rule they are fairly comfortable and clean-look- 
ing, contrasting favorably with the wretched 
abodes of the Machik, Mabuagi, Dauan, Boigu, 
and other natives of the Torres Straits Islands. 
Hall Sound is a splendid sheet of water, separat- 
ing the island from the main-land, where a fleet 
might ride in perfect security, and is entered by 
a narrow and deep channel on the south, where- 
as an extensive reef closes it in on the north. 
The neighboring coast-line is low and overgrown 
with mangroves, which cause it to be less healthy 
than Roro. The most stiiking feature in the 
panorama is that of Mount Yule, called by the 
natives Kobio, which rises cone-shaped at a dis- 
tance of some thirty miles inland to a height es- 
timated at 10,046 feet. It towers like a forbid- 
ding giant high above the numerous ranges of 
mountains and hills that divide it from the coast, 
which become more rugged and increase in height 
toward the centre of the peninsula. So clear 
is the atmosphere that its distance is diflBcnlt to 
realize, for not only are the tiemendous gorges 
and chasms distinctly seen upon its sides, but 
also the shadows which they cast. The Nikura 
River (named by Captain Moresby the Ethel) 
flows into the foot of Hall Sound ; but I was in- 
formed that at low-water the bar was often bare, 
and the stream narrowed so rapidly that at a few 
miles from its mouth it was only a few yards 
wide. 

It is called Nikura, from a village of that name 
situated seven or eight miles from the coast, con- 
taining about seventy inhabitants: another vil- 
lage called Epa is situated some twelve miles 
farther on. There is a small and sluggish creek 
flowing into the Nikura River, ten miles from its 
mouth, called by some of the natives Bioto, after 
a village six miles from the confluence, contain- 
ing about four hundred inhabitants. This creek- 
has been named by Captain Moresby the Hilder 
River, but it is most frequently referred to by 
the natives as the Amama. The village of Nai- 
abni, containing a population of two hundred 
and fifty, is situated seven miles from Bioto, 
and Purok is seen on the hills ten miles east 
of Naiabui. Near to Purok is a market-place, 
consisting of a large circular space cleared of 
grass, trees, etc., where natives from distant vil- 
lages meet at certain seasons to trade. Wild 
pigs, which abound in certain localities, fish from 
Cape Suckling, kangaroos from the interior, ba- 
nanas, jack and bread-fruit from the fertile val- 
leys, are exchanged for such articles as are most 
rare in the districts of those purchasing. At 
other times large feasts are given, to which 
those from a distance are invited. Before these 
feasts a large hunt is organized for kangaroos, 
which are caught in nets, the long grass having 
been previously burnt. For this purpose both 
men and women turn out, and as many as sixty 
or a hundred are trapped, which are cut up and 
roasted over fires made on stones, and then at- 
tacked by the hungiy visitors. At these festive 
gatherings each guest appears in the most fas- 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



5 



cinating costume he can conjuie into his brain to 
concoct for the occasion. Cassowary feathers 
and hirds-of-paradise crown the head, paint both 
black and red bedeck the face and body, and or- 
naments in great variety are then worn. During 
the north-west monsoons, when the weather is 
calm and favorable, the natives from Eoro and 
from the main-land, there called Maiva, may be 
seen sailing southward in their canoes for pur- 
poses of barter, returning again as soon as a fair 
wind sets in. The sails of their smallest canoes 
are very primitive, being sometimes composed of 
a single sago palm-leaf, or else of two sago palm- 
stalks, supporting between them a sort of cloth 
made of tappa. The ordinary canoe is manu- 
factured from the trunk of a tree hollowed out, 
pointed at both ends, and fitted with a single 
outrigger to steady it. Three of the largest vil- 
lages in the immediate neighborhood of Hall 
Sound are those of Mou, Meauri, and Erine, 
situated within a few minutes' walk of each 
other. Among the most beautiful birds found 
in this part of New Guinea are the king bird-of- 
paradise (Ctncjnnartis regius), the Paradisea rag- 
giana, paradise oriole (Sericulus aureiis), superb 
bird-of-paradise (^Lophorina superba), crowned 
pigeon (^Goura coronata), several large fruit-eat- 
ing pigeons and pretty little doves, the brilliant- 
pluraaged Manucodia, and parrots of different 
genera. Reptiles are moderately numerous, in- 
cluding rather large snakes, but mammalia are 
very scarce. Insects are plentiful, but both these 
and reptiles have a great affinity with those of 
Australia. 

CHAPTER III. 

SETTLEMENT OF TENT NEAR ANUAPATA. — ^A 
DISTURBANCE. 

On the 28th of October we left Roro, and, 
steaming out of Hall Sound, soon passed Cape 
Suckling and found ourselves crossing Red- 
scar Bay, into which the Manumanu, meaning 
"Bird," River flows. An enterprising and ad- 
venturous Swede, named Thorngren, whose ac- 
quaintance I made in Somerset, was, he inform- 
ed me, the first white man to find out tiiis river, 
and had ascended it for a distance of about 
twelve miles. The village of ilanumanu is sit- 
uated close to its mouth, and the more important 
village of Kapatsi about four miles up a wide 
creek, which meets the sea at the same point as 
the river, thus forming but one opening into it. 
The river has been since named tlie Usborne, and 
the creek Gully Reach by Captain Moresby, and 
I shall frequently have occasion to refer to the 
former of these hereafter. Thorngren estimates 
the average width of the Manumanu wliere he 
saw it at two hundred yards, its banks being very 
thinly populated. He failed to get beyond a cer- 
tain stream which empties itself into the river, 
his native guide declining to go farther, giving 
as his reason (probably an excuse) that, having 
once killed a native of those parts, he himself 
was fearful of being murdered in return. Nuro 
is a small village on the sea-shore a few miles 
to the west of the river's mouth, but it was only 
indistinctly seen by us while sailing along. The 
entire sea-coast for some distance inland is here 
low and swampy, abounding with mangroves, and 
necessarily unhealthy. The Sidttles are some 
rocks strikingly situated in the midst of the bay ; 
and just before rounding Redscar Head we pass- 
ed Pariwari Island, which is in tlie shape of a 
horseshoe, with rocky eminences at either end. 
Redscar Head derived its name from the reddish 
appearance of the cliffs which compose it ; and 
Caution Bay, which we next entered, was so 
called on account of the many hidden reefs that 
lie concealed, necessitating greater caution in its 
navigation. A barrier reef here commences, and 
extends more or less uninterruptedly along the 
entire length of the peninsula at a distance vary- 
ing from about one to four miles from the coast. 
The water between this reef and the shore varies 
considerably in depth, but, excepting in a few 
places, is deep enough for all ordinary vessels. 
It is, however, just theseyew places which make 
the navigation rather risky at present, and this 
must be so until a trigonometrical survey is 
made. 

We anchored the same evening off the little 



island of Aitana (Lily Island), and soon after 
saw half a dozen canoes, carrying eight or ten 
natives each, pushing off toward us from Boira 
and Bolipata ; villages of nearly equal size situ^ 
ated on the coast of New Guinea, containing 
together about five hundred people. The men 
seemed to entertain but little fear of us, for a 
race soon ensued among them as to which could 
reach our steamer first. One or two women 
only were among them, and they were all per- 
mitted to come on deck, and seemed anxious to 
exchange whatever they possessed for tobacco, 
red beads, and turkey-red cloth. A small quan- 
tity of any of these was sufficient to procure arti- 
cles that had evidently taken some days or weeks 
to make. Body ornaments, ladies' dresses, fine- 
ly netted bags, crawfish, cocoa-nuts, a few small 
pieces of turtle-shell, and one or two birds-of- 
paradise skins (Paradisea raggiana), were eager- 
ly offered for sale, and several purchases were 
made by us. With so many natives on board, 
and knowing what thieves they were, it was nec- 
essary for each of us to keep on the qui vive. 
Although practically naked, they are such adepts 
in the profession, and thieve with so much dex- 
terity, that they once all but succeeded in run- 
ning off with the iron door of the cooking range ! 
They retired at dusk, and the following morn- 
ing, before it was yet light, we were awakened 
by a shout of " Canoes coming ! " The first con- 
tained the native Polynesian teacher, Perri, and 
his wife from Boira, with their little child, and 
then followed nine other canoes, containing about 
one hundred natives from the two villages. We 
now learned that since the Ellengoivans last vis- 
it, four months since, no less than four teachers 
and one of their wives had died from fever and 
ague, and many natives of measles, which had 
unfortunately been introduced into the country 
through the missionaries. Our arrival, therefore, 
in the missionary vessel at Anuapata (Port 
Moresby) on the 29th of October was not greet- 
ed by the natives with any feeling of pleasure. 
Scarcely had we anchored when Mr. Lawes, the 
lesident missionary — the only white man except- 
ing D'Albertis then in New Guinea — came on 
board. The life of a missionary is at all times 
arduous, deprived as it is of home in the true 
sense of the word, and of its many comforts. In 
all the South Sea Islands where missionary sta- 
tions are established, passing vessels bringing let- 
ters fiom dear friends and the latest news of 
their distant fatherland are by no means rare, 
and relieve the monotony that would otherwise 
accrue. Here, however, deprived of all com- 
munication with tlie civilized world for four 
months at a time, the life of a worker for Christ 
is especially hard, and deserving of our admira- 
tion. In consequence of the unavoidable delay 
of the Ellengowan, the missionary, his wife, and 
the colored teachers had been for several weeks 
without proper provisions. Happily, kangaroo 
at that season of the year is very plentiful, so by 
shooting, and by selling some of their personal 
effects for bananas and yams, they had managed 
to keep body and soul together. It may be im- 
agined how heartily they welcomed our arrival 
in the harbor. 

The distance from Roro to Anuapata is only 
sixty miles, but it is sufficient to greatly change 
the character of the country. As you travel 
south, the dense forests and jungle give way to 
more scant vegetation, the low hills along the 
coast become more broken and barren, until at 
Anuapata you come to open forest- land inter- 
spersed with hills averaging four hundred feet 
high. 

Moresby Harbor runs for about three miles in 
an almost northerly direction, and then, turn- 
ing to the west, forms a second inland harbor of 
rather smaller dimensions. To the left (on en- 
tering) the hills presented a dried -up, brown, 
and unkindly barren aspect ; to the right they 
are somewhat higher and more picturesque, 
though scarcely more fertile. The formation of 
the hills is limestone, the ground is strewn with 
pieces of rock, and has only a slight covering of 
the poorest soil. With the exception of rather 
extensive banana plantations and a few cocoa- 
nut-ti-ees (scarcely as many as theie are houses 
in the village), no signs of cultivation are to be 



found ; indeed, the soil possesses insufficient nu- 
triment for successful cultivation. The night of 
our arrival, my party was kindly invited to sleep 
at Mr. Lawes's, the missionary's, house. A 
couple of mattresses were placed upon the floor 
to sleep on, but both Hargrave and Broadbent 
declared, when morning came, tliat they had pass- 
ed a sleepless night, as they had not been accus- 
tomed to such luxuries for so long a time. Next 
night they slept better upon the hard ground be- 
neath my tent. Such were two out of the thi-ee 
who accompanied me. By a curious coinci- 
dence both had been wrecked in 1872, when that 
unfortunate vessel the Maria, bound from Syd- 
ney to the very place we had just reached, strand- 
ed upon Bramble Reef, near Cardwell, and fifteen 
of their number were drowned, and fifteen mur- 
dered by the natives. 

Saturday, October 30th, was spent in erecting 
the tent, which measured twenty feet in length, 
by fourteen feet high and twelve feet wide — large 
enough to afford ample accommodation for four, 
together with our baggage and provisions. A 
small union-jack waved at each end of the roof, 
and another was hoisted in front upon the tallest 
pole I could procure, bearing upon it, in letters 
of white, that strange device "Excelsior." The 
site chosen for its erection was upon a hill about 
fifty feet above the beach. The front of my tent 
faced the entrance to the harbor ; situated to its 
left, on the beach below, was Anuapata, and to 
its right Tanapata, from which a short ridge of 
sand, bare at low-water, leads to the village of 
Ilivara, situated on a small island opposite. Thus 
there were three villages almost within a stone's- 
throw of my camp, containing a total population 
of about seven hundred. It was now time to 
bring ashore my camp paraphernalia, and as the 
little rowing-boat arrived from the EUengowan, 
laden with our goods, they were carried up by 
natives picked from among a great number, con- 
gregated for purposes of curiosity, and foi- pro- 
curing by theft whatever it was possible to do 
unnoticed. 

I engaged four men, but when I was about to 
pay them in tobacco for their services, no less 
than fifteen different persons, including some of 
the chiefs, made application on pretence of hav- 
ing assisted ! 

After satisfying their demands, not however 
without some remonstrances on my part, I hoped 
to enjoy a little quiet within my new home, but 
was besieged by a host of new applicants calling 
out Kuku, kutcu at the top of their voices. This 
I soon learned meant " tobacco ;" indeed, the first 
words I heard on landing were kuku, kuku last, 
repeated several times in an interrogatory voice, 
meaning "Tobacco, tobaeco, no?" or, "Have 
you no tobacco ?" Since then, those words rang 
constantly in my ears, coupled with the word 
atey, meaning "beads." That evening, while 
we were absent, a great hubbub of voices was 
heard in the direction of our tent, .and on look- 
ing round we observed a quantity of natives sur- 
rounding it armed with spears, stone clubs, wood- 
en swords, and one or two with bows and arrows. 
Their number must have been from sixty to 
eighty, and was every minute increasing ; and as 
we made our way back they were talking loud 
and fast, their gesticulations appearing rather 
formidable, and their attitude anything but pleas- 
ing. Not knowing what was going to follow, we 
unpacked our cartridges and prepared our arras 
for any emergency. I found that the principal 
cause of all this excitement was the conduct of 
the Polynesian teacher who had been left in 
charge of the tent, with orders to allow no one 
inside, and had imprudently pointed a gun on 
the intruders, on pretence of frightening them 
away. In addition to this, they were not at all 
pleased at my persisting to remain in their coun- 
try contraiy to their \vish, which was expressed 
through the chiefs. We afterward learned that 
most of the unfriendly natives were from the vil- 
lage of Ilivara. 

1 was not sorry to find that they all entertain 
a wholesome fear of being away from their homes 
after dark, so that they dispersed to their several 
villages as the twinkling stars commenced to give 
forth their faint but welcome light. We now 
burnt a couple of blue lights, and let off some 



A TEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



rockets, to give an idea of the white man's pow- 
er. Id had a salutary effect. The three chiefs 
of Anuapata came early next day to ask if we 
were cross with the llivara people, for they fear- 
ed their conduct had provoked us, and that by 
shooting up stars to the sky they might fall and 
destroy them and their habitations. Others fol- 
lowed their example, repeating the word main, 
meaning "friend," several times; with each of 
these I shook hands, leading them to understand 
that so long as they behaved well to us we should 
not hurt them ; we had come as friends to see 
their country, to learn something of themselves, 
to see their beautiful birds, and to tell them 
about the land of the white man. Most of those 
who came to see us brought body ornaments in 
hopes of selling them for tobacco, beads, etc. ; 
but the day being Sunday, I established a rule 
that nothing whatever should be purchased on 
any Sunday. The natives soon got to under- 
stand that it was useless to tempt us to buy ev- 
ery seventh day, as we held it sacred ; the result 
being that we were less molested on the Sabbath 
than on any other day, which, though not saying 
much, was yet quite sufficient to cause us thank- 
fulness. 

They are the most independent people, and 
unless they wish it, object to do anything you 
tell them, even to go out of your own house or 
tent. The consequence was, tiiat as they could 
not be reasoned with, and as we had to be very 
cautious about using force, we were constantly 
among a jabber of voices that made it difficult 
to collect one's thoughts for writing. With a 
wild and totally uncivilized people, it is always 
best to submit quietly to many inconveniences 
and practices that you would otherwise resent 
as insults. In the morning I attended a native 
service, conducted by Mr. Lawes, the missionary, 
who had been resident in New Guinea a few 
months, and could already make himself fairly 
well understood. His facilities for acquiring a 
knowledge of their language were increased by 
a residence of some years in Eastern Polynesia. 
The -service was held beneath a roof, thatched 
with grass, supported on posts open on each side, 
and fitted at one end with a low stage and read- 
ing-desk. Previously to the present occasion, 
not more than two or three natives had ever at- 
tended ; but attracted no doubt more by curi- 
osity than by any religious feeling, no less than 
three hundred — including men, women, and chil- 
dren — were now present, three-fourths of whom 
were compelled, from want of space, to remain 
outside. They appeared to know they ought 
to be quiet, and some of the eldest seemed to 
be listening, but the greater part were looking 
around them and .evidently inattentive, appar- 
ently taking no interest in the proceedings. The 
small boys amused themselves by flinging peb- 
bles at one another, making grimaces, or pulling 
a stray dog's tail ; and sometimes the word koi- 
koi, meaning "lie," would be heard in reference 
to something the missionary was saying. On 
Monday there was a formal opening of the 
" chapel "—the first in New Guinea — at which 
all my party were present excepting Hargrave, 
who kept guard over the tent. 

This event was celebrated by a short service 
and a feast to the villagers. The villages were 
divided into families, twenty-three large bowls 
of rice, biscuit, and meat being given to the in- 
habitants of Anuapata, and sixteen to those of 
Tanapata and llivara. The howls were placed in 
a long line, and the head of each family having 
been called by the native teacher, immediately 
stepped forward, received his present, and placed 
it upon his wife's shoulder, who marched off with 
it, followed by a numerous circle, including prob- 
ably many relatives. Each seemed mightily 
pleased with his present, and I have little doubt 
would have liked a new chapel opened every 
day. 

Vegetable food of all sorts is very scarce there ; 
but in the months of October, November, and 
December animal food can easily be procured, 
as kangaroos are particularly plentiful ; and 
there are also numbers of pigeons, which can 
readily be shot with a gun, but the natives can 
seldom obtain them on account of their inferior 
weapons. 



CHAPTER IV. 

CLIMATE OF THE COUNTKY. HABITS OF THE 

MOID TRIBE. 

On the 2d of November we constructed a fence 
eight feet square in front of the principal en- 
trance to our tent, having a gate which was af- 
terward, kept fastened by a cord. The back en- 
trance was laced up, and in this manner we 
could have the front of the tent open, and hoped 
to keep the natives at a short distance. The 
area so formed was protected from the rays of 
a tropical sun by a pointed canvas roof, and the 
ground covered with two mats, woven for the 
pui-pose fiom the pandanus-leaf by the wives of 
some of the teachers who had lately died. I 
now thought it time further to exhibit the ex- 
traordinary powers of the white man, so I blew 
up a couple of gum-trees with dynamite. At 
this the men expressed great surprise, not unmin- 
gled with fear, but the women seemed less fright- 
ened, and, finding themselves unhurt, said it 
was much better than chopping away at them 
with stone hatchets. It was some days, how- 
ever, before the spectators could be induced to 
approach the shattered trees. We then bunit 
some spirits of wine, telling them it was biritani 
lano — "English water;" and when we after- 
ward set fire to some paper by the use of a burn- 
ing-glass, their wonder at our immense power 
was fairly established. I then fired off my 
Reilly's Martini rifle, pointing over a mountain 
some three miles off, as though the ball had 
passed over it. They were amazed at the sup- 
posed power of such an instrument, many saying 
Namo, namo — "good, good" — although one or 
two to whom I explained it in detail screwed 
up their features, saying Tika, tika — "bad, bad." 
I next exhibited my revolvers and little deringer, 
and the rapid action of loading them, but re- 
frained from firing any shots, lest the villagers, 
whose exclamations at the report of my rifle had 
not yet ceased, should think we intended mis- 
chief. They express surprise in an original 
manner, by drawing in the lower jaw and click- 
ing their upper teeth with the thumb nail of the 
right hand. Another method is by compressing 
their lips so tightly together, that, on drawing air 
tiirough them, a sound is created, like that vul- 
garly called " smacking lips." The inhabitants 
of Anuapata and the neighborhood consist prin- 
cipally of the Motu tribe. The women, besides 
their ordinary domestic duties, do a good deal 
of the hard work, such as fetching water, sticks, 
the produce of their plantations, and making 
pottery ; they also employ their time in netting. 
Every morning at sunrise, rows of women may 
be seen carrying earthen-ware pots and net-bags 
into the country. 

An ordinary - sized pitcher holds nearly as 
much as a common.bucket ; this they carry with 
apparent ease upon their shoulders. The fire- 
wood is carried either in bundles, or else in a 
net- bag hanging on the back, and suspended 
from the forepart of the head. Usually the 
women make two journeys daily, one for water, 
and the other for firewood, bananas, etc. 

The men employ their time chiefly in hunting, 
smoking, begging, and lounging about, and in 
occasional fishing and trading excursions. They 
leave their homes shortly after the women, each 
armed with a couple of wooden spears, and some 
carrying kangaroo-nets. When thus employed, 
not a word is spoken by any one of the party 
until their object is attained, for they say, "If 
you speak to us we shall catch no game." 

Hitherto (and, indeed, from the beginning of 
May, with the exception of a few days' calm in 
October) the south-east monsoon had been blow- 
ing, and often with considerable force, at times 
amounting to squalls. A change occurred in 
the beginning of November, but, though the 
light north-west monsoon blew at intervals dur- 
ing the months of November and December, it 
cannot be said actually to set in until January, 
from which season it continues till the end of 
April. At the time I am now speaking of (No- 
verabeT) the thermometer indicated 110° Fahr. 
in the shade at mid-day, the early mornings and 
evenings averaging 76°, and being particularly 
agreeable. The nights, however, are cool, es- 



pecially between the hours of twelve and four, 
when a light blanket becomes a luxury. Heavy 
dews fall during night-time, and to these may 
probably in some measure be attributed the at- 
tacks of fever and ague from which my party 
soon began to suffer, and from which so many 
Polynesian teachers had died. The natives 
themselves are not affected in this way; but I 
noticed many pitted with small-pox, which had 
carried off men, women, and children with fright- 
ful rapidity about ten years previously. It had 
most likely been introduced by a stray boat be- 
longing to the Torres Straits pearl-shell fishery. 
At that time Anuapata and Tanapata were near- 
ly double their present size ; the former now 
contains a population of three hundred and fifty 
in eighty houses, and the latter two hundred and 
fifty in fifty houses. Other diseases among the 
natives are comparatively few. Some suffer 
from eczematous affections, unconfined to any 
particular part of the body ; ulcers and sores are 
rather numerous ; ringworm is not uncommon ; 
and with the Kirapuno tribe (which occupies the 
country south of the Motu) I frequently noticed 
a gap or gash in the top lip, whether from 
disease or a defect from birth I cannot speak 
with certainty. Measles had been introduced 
by the missionary vessel on a recent voyage, and 
from its effects numbers had died. As a rule, 
they appear to have no treatment for the sick, 
excepting that they dose them, when possible, 
with salt-water. They certainly devote more 
attention to their wants than they otherwise 
would do, but, being profoundly ignorant of any 
means of cure, the poor creatures, in most cases, 
have to take their chance of getting well or be- 
coming worse. 

From my camp the neighboring villages, par- 
ticularly Anuapata, overshadowed by a grove of 
cocoa-nut-trees, with the bay in front and moun- 
tains behind, presented a landscape of savage 
beauty. We were now in a situation that we all 
loved — a new world, an unknown land. It was 
almost like being born again ; but it was no 
dream, the stem reality faced us. The Ellen- 
gowan had already departed ; and we well knew 
that, whatever happened, there would be no 
chance of any communication with civilized be- 
ings until her return three months hence. 

I took an early opportunity of visiting the va- 
rious villages I have mentioned, one of which I 
will now describe, as being similar in general 
appearance to most of those on the sea-coast, 
and therefore sufficient to give an idea of all. 
Hargrave and a few natives accompanied me to 
Anuapata, and, as we approached it, other na- 
tives, including some of the chiefs, came out to 
welcome us, not forgetting to ask for kuku, " to- 
bacco. " With each of the chiefs we shook hands, 
and, as they now knew that this was the fashion 
of our country, they returned our greeting with 
cordiality ; but it is their ordinary custom to 
rub each other's noses when meeting friends. 

The houses are arranged in an irregular line 
along the beach, and so low down that at high- 
water the sea flows under them ; they are con- 
sequently built upon poles let into the shingles, 
so that the floors are from six to ten feet above 
the ground. They average twenty-five feet long 
by fifteen wide, and twelve feet high from the 
floor to the centre of the pointed roof; the back 
looks toward the sea, and the front inland. The 
floors are generally made of wide boards, obtain- 
ed from tlie sides of some old canoe ; the sides 
and roof are thatched with long coarse grass ; 
and the whole village resembles a quantity of 
large dove-cots placed upon poles. A sort of 
veranda usually projects in a line with the floor 
on the inland side ; on this the natives sit and 
smoke, make string from fibre, manufacture 
body ornaments, and otherwise spend much of 
their time. Wishing to see the interior, we 
entered several of the cottages; the inmates ap- 
peared pleased to show them, and jabbered away 
meanwhile as fast as they could. 

A roughly constructed ladder leads to the 
veranda, and access to the interior is had by an' 
open door-way. The inside beams support their 
hunting and war weapons, sundry fishing- nets, 
net- bags filled with their most highly prized 
body ornaments, and usually a drum. Some 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



of the walls were smeared with lamp-black or 
smoke, and an old man, whom we found the sole 
occupant of one of the houses, soon led me to 
understand the reason. Leaning his head on 
one side, he rested it on the palm of his hand 
and closed his eyes, remaining for some moments 
in that position. He then pointed to the black- 
ened beams and went through the same perform- 
ance. It was not difficult to understand his 
meaning ; his wife, or some other near relation, 
was evidently dead. In addition to this, his 
wrinkled old body was blackened, besides hav- 
ing on it a black cane belt and armlets. He was 
in mourning ! Poor fellow I he little knew how 
much the custom of his country resembled in this 
respect that of the most civilized nations. 

Some smouldering embers lay upon a quanti- 
ty of old ashes always kept in the centre of the 
floor, and around them three empty pitchers 
were placed, so as to form a triangle, on which 
rested a pot containing the food to be cooked. 
Before leaving their houses we made a small 
present of twist tobacco and red beads to the 
principal inmates ; but finding that the more you 
gave the more they wanted, experience taught 
us to use a good deal of discrimination in our 
gifts. 

Upon the beach several women were busily 
engaged in making pottery, an art, I believe, 
only known to this, the Motu, tribe. It consti- 
tutes the principal article of barter between the 
Motu and other tribes, who come in canoes from 
considerable distances, both from north and south, 
giving in exchange agricultural produce and fish. 
The pitchers are made of red or slate-color clay, 
placed in wooden troughs, whence it is taken out 
as required, and worked up by hand over an 
earthen- ware mould. 

The upper and lower halves are made separate- 
ly, and when in a damp state are patted together 
with a flat board. They are then baked in an 
open fire constructed on the beach, when they 
become a red brick color and are fit for use. 
Three forms of pottery are made — namely, a ura, 
or cooking-pot ; a hordu, or water-pitcher ; and a 
nao, or bowl. The diameter of these averages 
fifteen inches, but I saw soma in the chiefs' 
houses measuring twentv-four inches across. 

On returning through the village, several men, 
women, and children were apparently playing 
immense noiseless bamboo flutes. 

In reality, iiowever, they were luxuriating in 
the native baubau, or bamboo pipe. This is 
usually from two to three feet long and three 
inches wide, having a small hole in the side, into 
which a leaf twisted up and filled with tobacco 
is placed. The tobacco is then lighted, and the 
bamboo filled with smoke by sucking at the oth- 
er end, which is quite open. It is then passed 
round, each person taking a few puffs from the 
smaller hole, while he stops up the larger with 
his hand, first removing the leaf, and then re- 
placing it when exhausted of smoke. 

It is usually burnt on the exterior in a series 
of artistic devices. Among the Torres Straits 
Islanders, who are more closely allied to the pure 
Papuan, representations of the shark upon it are 
not uncommon. 

I was surprised to find them growing their 
own tobacco in the interior of New Guinea, but 
the natives much prefer strong European tobac- 
co to their own; they seem madly fond of kuku, 
and would pawn their very clothes for it if they 
wore any. But I am doing them an injustice, 
for the men do wear a tsi, or single tape, vary- 
ing from half to one inch wide, strapped tightly 
round the waist, one end of which is then passed 
down the back beneath the body, and fastened 
up in front ; and the women wear a rami, or 
fringe girdle, fifteen inches deep, encircling the 
loins. The chief implement of war is the io, or 
spear, made entirely of wood, and barbed toward 
the extremity. Some of the most common kinds 
used for hunting are generally about nine feet 
long, and made from the trunk of the cocoa-nut 
palm. Bows and arrows are less used here than 
farther west, or among the neighboring islands, 
nor are the points of the arrows poisoned as they 
are there. 

The same kind of aurai, or bone dagger, ob- 
tained from the cassowary, is however used. 



Wooden swords and stone clubs are also among 
their weapons. Their swords are five feet long, 
with flat blades half that length, and four inches 
wide, sharpened and pointed at the end, having 
round handles wherewith to wield them. They 
are not unlike those used in the Fiji and other 
islands of the Pacific, as well as by the wild 
bush tribes near Eockingham Bay, on the east- 
ern coast of Australia. The " Stone Age " still 
reigns in New Guinea, and if metals exist they 
are certainly unknown to the natives, plumbago 
excepted. The stone of which their club and 
hatchet heads are made somewhat resembles the 
more common kind of greenstone found in New 
Zealand, and is brought chiefly from the interior 
by the mountain or Koiari tribe. Sometimes 
they bring the stone in an unfinished state, and 
being tough and capable of a high degree of pol- 
ish, it is much prized. It requires some weeks 
to work one into the required shape, for their 
manner of doing it is of the most primitive de- 
scription. A flint or some harder stone is ob- 
tained, and with this they hammer the green- 
stone incessantly until it is worn to a point, and 
then rub the surface to grind it smooth. The 
most common form of club used by the Motu 
(or Port Moresby) tribe is that of a flat stone 
six inches in diameter, with a hole in the centre, 
into which is fastened a handle three feet six 
inches long. A sling is attached to carry it by, 
and the head is decorated with many- colored 
feathers. The first stone tomahawk or hatchet 
I saw in New Guinea was at Eoro, and I found 
them in vogue throughout the whole country. 
The handle is formed out of the forked branch 
of a tree, and the stone or cutting tool is firmly 
bound on, either with string made by the natives, 
or fine cane. A kesi, or wooden shield, about 
two feet six inches long by one foot six inches 
wide, is also used by the Motu, partly covered 
with plaited wicker-work. The only musical in- 
strument is the ffaba, or drum, similar to that used 
by the pure Papuan, but smaller, and not so well 
carved. It is shaped like an egg-glass, hollowed 
out of the trunk of a tree by means of fire and 
the tomakawk, and is about two feet long and 
seven inches wide at each end, diminishing to 
half that width in the centre. Over one end a 
piece of snake skin is stretched tightly ; some 
have handles neatly carved out of the solid wood. 
As a signal, the Triton varigatus shell is some- 
times used ; the shell has a hole drilled in the 
spiral chamber, through which a deep whistling 
sound can be produced. 

The natives show considerable skill in making 
nets, spinning the string from the fibre as they 
proceed, so that when finished no knot is visible. 
These are made all sizes, from the wain, or little 
netted bag for carrying betel-nut, to the large 
kiapa for vegetables and firewood, or to the still 
larger reki, or fishing-net, each size having its 
distinct name. When at Eoro, I purchased a 
hammock for a single fish-hook, but we found 
this article of barter valueless elsewhere. 

CHAPTEE V. 

EXCURSIONS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. — CAilOES 
PREPARE FOR SAILING. — ORNAMENTS, AND 
GENERAL APPEARANCE OF THE PEOPLE. 

We spent a few days in making shooting ex- 
cursions in the neighborhood of our camp, but 
though birds were fairly plentiful there w'ere not 
many varieties ; kangaroos, however, were very 
numerous, though extremely shy. The natives 
soon began to understand us, and clustered more 
than ever from morn till night round our tent, 
gabbling together and seeking for admission, 
tobacco, and beads, all at the same time. The 
whole population, knowing I' was collecting a few 
natural specimens, became my collectors, and 
brought beetles, snakes, lizards, bats, flying-squir- 
rels \Belideus arieJ), butterflies, and all sorts of 
things, in return for which they were paid either 
in beads or tobacco. It became a regular nui- 
sance, too much so to continue, for during that 
time I could neither write nor obtain any infor- 
mation, the continual disturbance was so annoy- 
ing. 

I therefore declined accepting many specimens, 
which greatly reduced the number of my collect- 



ors. The following is from my diary: "While 
I am endeavoring to write, a couple of snakes 
are busily engaged twining themselves upon a 
beam in my tent, two swallows are chirping in a 
trap, a malicious squirrel has just bitten the fin- 
ger of one of my collectors, some rats are wait- 
ing to be placed in spirits, and the hot day has 
made a dozen birds, although only shot this morn- 
ing, smell the place out." During one of my ex- 
cursions I broke the trigger of my double-bar- 
relled muzzle-loading gun, which Hargrave, who 
was a veritable sine qua non, replaced by a new 
one made from a bit of sheet-copper. 

Two little boys — sons of one of thellivara chiefs, 
named Mir — aged about twelve and fourteen, be- 
gan to be constant attendants in our morning's 
shooting excursions, carrying home our birds and 
assisting in other ways. We named them Jack 
and Harry, the former being the elder of the two. 
They quite appreciated our presents of biscuit, 
tea, beads, red serge, looking-glasses, knives, and 
tobacco, and soon began to love us, so that a mut- 
ual trustfulness was established. Both were as 
naked as when they were born, for they had not 
yet adopted the tsi, or tape, before mentioned. 
They were well-made, hardy little fellows, with 
tremendous appetites, that could not be appeased. 
They were always hungry, and in that respect 
took after the remainder of their tribe. On an 
average we shot about fifteen birds a day, that is 
to say, between the hours of six and nine o'clock, 
after which the heat became insufferable, although 
it was only the spring of the year ; the hottest; 
month being February, and the coldest August. 

It was now the commencement of the second 
week in November, and the preparations which 
had been going on for several days past in get- 
ting canoes ready for their annual trading voy- 
age to Ilema, some hundred miles north-west, ap- 
peared to be at last completed. Every day the sail- 
ors hoped to start, and only awaited a favorable 
breeze. They evidently anticipated fiiir weather 
for their frail canoes during this and the follow- 
ing month, until they should again return. The 
first night they intended to anchor off Eedscar 
Head, the second at Eoro, where they would 
stay a few days, and expected to arrive at their 
destination in Ilema in a couple of days more. 
Some of the canoes go as fiir as Ipiko, which I 
think cannot be far from the Aird Eiver, so that 
this voyage is a total distance of about two hun- 
dred miles, or there and back four hundred! 
When on these long sea-voyages, two, three, or 
four of the largest canoes are lashed firmly to- 
gether side by side with ratans. When bound 
together in this way it takes the name of a laka- 
toi, the next in size being called an akona, one 
still smaller an atsi, and the smallest canoe of 
all a vanaki. Thus each kind is readily distin- 
guished. Some of their lakatois are propelled 
by half a dozen square sails, made of matting, 
each set between two masts, and others with a 
single elliptic- shaped sail. Streamers take the 
place of flags, and a couple of steersmen stand at 
the helm working wide oars which act as a rud- 
der. The elliptic sail is as picturesque as it is 
original, but what advantage it has over the or- 
dinary ones, which must take less time to make, 
I am unable to say. 

The material of which this sail is made is, I 
believe, the bark of the sago palm hammered out 
into a sort of cloth. 

Upon the beach a few heaps of pottery still 
remained for the lakatois to take away, most of 
them having been already put on board. I now 
quite understood the reason why the natives had 
been so anxious to collect for me, and to dispose 
of their bod}' ornaments. The payment they re- 
ceived would be very valuable in the eyes of dis- 
tant tribes, to whose country they were destined, 
and would greatly assist in buying sago — the 
principal object of their voyage — as well as 
yams, taros, sweet- potatoes, betel-nuts, sugar- 
cane, and other minor commodities. 

In all there were two lakatois from Anuapata, 
two from Tanapata, one from Ilivara, and one 
from Baruni, a small village on the shores of 
Fairfax Harbor, belonging to another tribe, call- 
ed Koitapu. 

But the weather still remaining unsettled and 
the wind blowing lightly from the west, sevenil 



s 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



•days had still to be passed before they could put 
out to sea. They therefore inaugurated their 
expedition by holding regattas almost every day. 
The canoes would start from Anuapata crowded 
with men and women, and make round some 
point or reef in the harbor and back again, all 
on board seeming thoroughly to enjoy the fun, 
dancing round the platform (their substitute for 
a deck), singing and beating their drums at the 
same time. Their rude laugh was pleasant to 
bear, and what seemed to be a "hurrah," and 
had evidently the same meaning, ascended often 
from their midst, and was carried o'er the wa- 
ters on the wings of the breeze. 

It is doubtful if our greatest oarsmen enjoy 
themselves more on such occasions than do those 
unscientific tars. 

On Monday, November 8th, I walked to the 
summit of Ororo, meaning " Mount" Tapaharti, 
which shuts in the end of the valley behind An- 
uapata, and joins the western with the eastern 
range. The track thither passes through open 
forest-land growing coarse green grass and trees 
and scrub, with banana plantations neatly fenced 
in here and there. The raost common birds 
were the butcher, laughing jackass, bower, leath- 
erhead, metallic starling, cuckoo-pheasant, and 
podargus. The black and white Torres Straits 
pigeon, white and black cockatoos, and the green 
mountain parrot are likewise met with. From 
the summit of Mount Tapaharti (seven hundred 
and forty feet above the sea) a most extensive 
and grand panoramic view is obtained of nu- 
merous chains of mountains. The shape of the 
mountain upon which I stood resembled some- 
what the keel of a ship overturned — what would 
in Java be named " Tankoeban Praoe." Its 
sides rise very abruptly ; the higher part is cov- 
ered with tufts of grass, and the lower with 
scrub and forests. The soil throughout, both 
on the hills and in the valleys, is of the poorest, 
and strewn with loose stones, pieces of rock, and 
sea-shells, such as the chama, stromhus, cyprcea, 
conus, nerita, and spondylus, which resemble those 
of the present day. This shows that the land is 
of comparatively recent formation, and is rising 
slowly but surely from its original level. As I 
stood on the mountain and gazed eastward, the 
difficulty of crossing those thousand ridges, that 
stood before me like so many opposing barriers, 
came upon me with all its force. A valley of 
comparatively even ground extended some dis- 
tance ; but beyond this rose hill after hill, moun- 
tain after mountain, until in the far-off distance, 
discernible only above the clouds themselves, 
rose a range of mountains of stupendous height 
and proportions. 

I have seen Switzerland with its grand and 
magnificent Alps, the white - capped Pyrenees, 
the wild Scandinavian ranges, the noble Cauca- 
sian chains, besides many others of scarcely less 
grandeur, but I was never before so much struck 
with any mountain scenery, as when I first be- 
held that of the eastern peninsula of New Guinea 
from the heights of Tapaharti. I must, indeed, 
confess that, as I looked upon that unknown 
country, and saw so many ranges, with the huge 
Owen Stanley in the distance blocking up, as it 
seemed, all possible communication between the 
district on one side and the countiy beyond, my 
heart for a moment sunk within me. The coun- 
try had not yet been visited by white men ; the 
disposition of its inhabitants, reported to be can- 
nibals, was unknown ; I had no men or animals 
in prospect to carry provisions, and I knew not 
whether provisions of any sort could be found en 
route. I could discern no villages, no planta- 
tions, nor cultivated ground of any sort, though 
in four places smoke was rising as if from burn- 
ing the long grass. Travelling in any part of 
New Guinea is difficult, unless for a properly or- 
ganized and expensively fitted-out expedition. 

In Africa you may, besides other quadrupeds, 
get camels and mules ; in Australia, horses ; in 
Persia, mules and donkeys ; in Kamschatka, 
dogs ; in Siberia and Lapland, ponies or lein- 
deer ; and in all you may find men ; but in New 
Guinea neither an animal nor a man can be pro- 
cured. The three largest animals inhabiting that 
great land are the mikani, or kangaroo, about 
the size of the smallest Australian species, com- 



monly called a " wallaby ;" the pig, which is fre- 
quently kept in a domesticated state, and when 
wild usually inhabits the river banks ; and the 
barkless dog, resembling the Australian wild dog, 
or dingo, in its peculiar yelp, which is found in 
every village. But none of these could be used 
by us as baggage animals. The men have a 
great aversion to leaving their native villages, as 
they live in some fear of the adjoining tribes, 
though we were unable to discover any good 
grounds for their alann. To us they appeared 
to receive strangers hospitably, and to be well 
received by them in return. 

For a long journey inland, some animal to 
carry your baggage is indispensable. You can- 
not rely upon finding a village every day, nor, if 
found, can you be sure of procuring anything to 
eat. The Motu tribe, at all events, would see you 
starve before they gave you food ; hence a quan- 
tity of "trade," i. e., European articles of man- 
ufacture to exchange or barter for native articles 
of diet, is an absolute necessity. 

The little Timor ponies are well adapted to 
insure the success of any lengthened expedition 
into the interior. The distance it is necessary 
to bring them is comparatively short, they cost 
little, are capable of the greatest endurance, and 
are already acclimatized and accustomed to moun- 
tain tracts. Mules could be imported from the 
Philippines, but their superiority is questionable. 
We had none of these. An English bulldog 
would likewise have been a very valuable acqui- 
sition as a day and night watch, but no dog of 
any kind could be procured in Somerset. The 
bark of such an animal would nearly frighten 
the natives out of their wits. When the Ellen- 
gowan landed a sheep on her first voyage, the 
people ran away from it in great fright, and could 
not be induced to go near it. I regretted, there- 
fore, not having brought a dog, for the natives 
around us were such expert thieves, inveterate 
liars, and confirmed beggars, that they had to 
be continually watched. It would have taxed 
tlie patience and 'cuteness of a London detective. 
They were also some of the most independently 
disposed persons I ever came across, their con- 
duct several times necessitating their ejection 
from our camp — a step they did not seem to ap- 
preciate. 

On the 9th of November Hargrave and my- 
self went in a canoe to Fairfax Harbor, at the 
entrance of which lies the island of Tatana, about 
half a mile across, and very unattractive. On 
its northern side is the dirty little village of 
Pori, containing about sixty inhabitants ; a few 
banana plantations have been attempted ; but as 
they scarcely produce anything, the people get 
from the adjoining main-land whatever they are 
able to procure by theft. The island is rocky, 
and strewn with pieces of a carnelian -colored 
flint, called by the natives vesika, and used for 
boring holes through shell, bone, or other hard 
substances, in the manufacture of body orna- 
ments. 

We discovered, for the first time, that our 
friends were mechanicians, being the inventors 
of a rotary drilling-machine, having a to-and-fro 
motion, spindle, and fly-wheel ! A sharp piece 
of vesika is bound firmly to the end of a wood- 
en spindle two feet long, on which is fastened a 
piece of heavy wood or some stones, answering 
the purpose of a fly-wheel. A string is attached 
to the top of the spindle, and made fast at each 
end to a horizontal bar or handle, nine inches 
long, sliding up and down the vertical spindle. 
Some little dexterity is required to work the 
machine. The string is first twisted by turning 
round the spindle, and then, by suddenly press- 
ing down the handle, sufficient momentum is 
established to retwist the string in an opposite 
direction, when the same process is repeated. It 
is wonderful how quickly they perforate shells in 
this manner. We have several kinds of fiddle 
and other small hand drills in England, but I do 
not remember having seen this particular mo- 
tion in use. The Polynesians, however, have a 
veiy similar drill. 

The Koitapu village of Baruni is situated on 
the main-land to the east of the island ; the chan- 
nel which divides them is shallow, and the wa- 
ter so cleai- that the difi"erent sorts of coral grow- 



ing at the bottom of the sea can be easily seen. 
The channel on the other side is deeper. The 
term Koitapu does not appear to belong to any 
one distinct tribe, but is given to certain among 
them who formerly inhabited the interior, and 
who have either left voluntarily or been driven 
to the sea- coast. Their villages are not built 
upon the beach, but on the hills overlooking ; 
nevertheless, like those on the coast, the houses 
are erected upon piles. The people do this for 
several reasons, to admit ventilation through the 
floor, to catch the full force of the breeze, and to 
afibrd some security against intrusion. 

We found the neighborhood of Fairfax Harbor 
most barren and desolate-looking. The ground 
rises all around in a succession of hills, and the 
soil possesses insufiicient nutriment to support 
vegetation ; one beautiful green patch alone con- 
trasted favorably with the rest. We afterward 
went several times to the Koitapu village of Ba- 
runi, both by canoe and overland, always creating 
much interest on our approach. Although situ- 
ated so close to Anuapata, yet the Koitapu, be- 
ing composed of several inland tribes who have 
come to live by the sea, speak a different lan- 
guage, and not only so, but also several distinct 
dialects among themselves. The language spo- 
ken b}' the Koitapu and Koirari, or inland tribe, 
supposed to be originally the same, differs now 
in many respects, though the majority of words 
are still identical. 

The country of the Motu averages only ten 
miles wide, with a sea boundary extending from 
Anuapata to Kapatsi, thirty miles to the north- 
west, and from Anuapata to Kapakapa (near 
Round Head), thirty miles to the south-east. 
The vicinity of Anuapata is called Ulalamakana. 
The color of the Motu natives is slightly darker 
than that of the inhabitants of Roro, varying 
however in different individuals from the light- 
est, resembling that of a Portuguese, to the dark- 
est, which is a rich shade of chocolate. Com- 
pared with them a pure Papuan looks black, and 
on account of this and his cannibal propensities 
he is generally disliked by the light Papua Ma- 
hori race, who inhabit the east of New Guinea. 

The Motu women have rounder features than 
the men ; the eyes of all are brown, the nose 
aquiline, but inclined to thickness. They have 
large mouths, well- formed lips and ears, and 
slightly prominent cheek-bones. Their hair 
grows luxuriantly, and is usually worn frizzed 
out into a light airy mass projecting six inches 
round the head, and destitute of any parting. 
In color it is generally black, but sometimes a 
burnt sienna tint is visible, especially toward the 
extremity of the hairs. They are very diminu- 
tive in stature, are slightly built, but well propor- 
tioned, athletic, good-looking, meriy, and fairly 
intelligent. I had some difficulty to coax them 
into permitting me to take their measurements ; 
but haying succeeded in measuring six persons 
of both sexes, I found the average height of the 
men to be five feet four inches, and of the women 
four feet eleven and a half inches, while the girth 
round the chest of the former averaged about 
two feet nine inches. They marry young ; the 
features of the women soon become wrinkled, 
and anything but fascinating. Both sexes are 
particulaly fond of body ornaments. Suspended 
from the top of their ears they wear three or 
four strings of red beads, each about six inches 
long, with a berry at the end to add to its effect. 
If beads are not possessed, a bunch of variegated 
crotons or ferns is placed in the lobe of the ears, 
and strings of seeds round the neck. 

Double and treble red-bead necklaces are treas- 
ures which few possess, and the swaggering walk 
of the ladies who are so bedecked is really laugh- 
able. Tautaus, or necklaces, made of the little 
nassa shell, ground down and drilled, are com- 
mon ; but tliose worn by the more fortunate 
among them, made of the eye-teeth of dogs, 
are so highly prized that I could not obtain one. 
Bracelets and armlets made of finely plaited 
grass, or strips of kangaroo-hide, the claw form- 
ing a buckle, are likewise worn by the women 
as well as men. Tucked into the armlets, and 
brought slightly to the front, small bunches of 
crotons, sweet-scented herbs, or the gorgeous 
hibiscus, are often seen, lending a most pleasing 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



and effective contrast to the color of the skin be- 
neath. The boys have frequently straight hair 
like the Malays, but the old men's hair is in- 
clined to curl in ringlets. The young unmar- 
ried swells sometimes wear a shell forehead or- 
nament, fastened at the back of the head, by 
means of which the hair is brought into a sort of 
bob. Into this bob is thrust an iduari, or pronged 
fork, so as to be ever ready for giving it a frizz 
up or a good scratching, as occasion may require. 
Mukoras, or nose-ornaments, passed through the 
septum of the nose, six inches long, turned up 
and tapering to points at the extremities, like 
cows' horns, cut out of the shell Tridacna gigas; 
and mairis, or pearl-shells, are among their re- 
maining ornaments. On very festive occasions, 
cassowary, bird -of- paradise, and parrot feather 
head - dresses are also worn. On going into 
mourning, they shave off all their hair with a 
piece of shell (or glass when they can get any) 
in the most dexterous manner; but it was some 
time before we could discover with what sub- 
stance they blackened their bodies. It proved 
to be plumbago, the otdy metal known to them, 
an extensive vein of which ran only a couple of 
miles behind my camp. They continue to black- 
en their bodies for about three months after the 
death of a near relation, and the more distant 
relations show their respect by merely painting 
black streaks upon their faces. The women are 
all much tattooed on their bodies, arms, legs, 
and faces ; but the men less so, and very often 
not at all. Those only among them who have 
been renowned as warriors are deemed worthy 
of such a mark of honor, so that these may read- 
ily be distinguished by the tattooing on their 
foreheads. The face is often streaked with a 
rose-colored lime, and tattooed with an Egyptian 
pattern, while the body is marked with Vs, N's, 
and X's in endless variety. The devices vary 
among each tribe, and are so numerous that any 
description would be tedious. 

The Motu wear no beard, mustaches, or whisk- 
ers, but pluck out each hair separately, having a 
great prejudice against its growth on the face, 
and it is not an uncommon habit to pluck off the 
eyebrows and eyelashes likewise. Their legs and 
chests are devoid of the hairy ringlets that so 
conspicuously grow upon their darker brethren, 
the pure Papuan and Kulkaliga race. They 
have very fine short hair on the legs and arms, 
but scarcely any upon the body. 

CHAPTER VI. 

EXCURSION TO THE HIVER LAROKI. — ALLIGA- 
TORS. 

, I HAD made arrangements for a preliminary 
expedition on the 10th to a certain river, sup- 
posed to flow in the direction of the setting sun. 
According to the natives, it was not far off ; but 
so vague are their ideas of distance, that it was 
impossible to tell from this information how far 
-it might be only five, or it might be as much 
as fifteen, miles away. We knew it could not 
be very far, as some of them had recently been 
there in search of ratans for binding their ca- 
noes together. Boi, one of the Anuapata chiefs, 
had been engaged to act as guide. 

Punctually at six o'clock we all started, ex- 
cepting Boi himself, who failed to put in an ap- 
pearance until we had marched three miles, when 
we observed him walking quickly toward us car- 
rying a couple of hunting-spears. 

My faithful little servants. Jack and Harry, 
who knew the way to the river, had been so far 
acting as guides, and another little native boy 
we called Dicky helped to carry a few odd things. 
We had each a revolver and double-barrel gun 
to shoot birds or kangaroos, but we found the 
country behind Anuapata so deserted that we 
might have dispensed with our revolvers. At 
the eastern end of Mount Tapaharti is the pass, 
four hundred and ten feet high, which has to be 
crossed in order to arrive at the valley on the 
other side. The track passes through open for- 
est-land of gum-trees (Eucalypti), standing about 
fifteen yards apart, and offering but scanty shade. 
The intervening area is filled with coarse grass, 
which was then about three feet high. Through 
this a narrow path has been worn, and as you 



walk along its blades bend forward with a rus- 
tling noise, and a few hours afterward resume 
their former position. It is by the bent position 
of this grass that a kangaroo is often tracked. 
As I said before, from its springing motion, a 
kangaroo is not easy to shoot ; but these bare- 
footed and naked hunters approach so stealthily, 
that before the animal is aware, their spears fly 
through the air and pierce it as it is just about 
to hop away. 

Boi was considered a great hunter, even among 
his own people, and once or twice before we were 
aware of his absence we suddenly saw him sev- 
eral himdred yards off running with thefleetness 
of a deer through the tall grass, spear in hand, 
ready to launch it forth at an unsuspecting wal- 
laby. After an hour's march we came to a pool 
of fresh water, hidden among rushes ; white wa- 
ter-lilies flowered profusely upon its surface, and 
small fish played about beneath. As the day 
was very hot, though yet early in the morning, 
we were all glad to refiesh ourselves, and re- 
plenish our bottles with this sweet water, for we 
knew not when we might come to more. After 
leaving this pool the valley spreads out to a con- 
siderable width, and high mountain ranges ap- 
pear far ahead above the gum-trees. Wallabies 
now became very numerous, and we occasional- 
ly saw flocks of twenty or thirty in the distance, 
hopping off as fast as their hind legs could carry 
them. Several times we nearly trod on one or 
two which lay hidden in our track, but they were 
off before we could point a gun at them. As 
we expected to have to depend upon their flesh 
in great measure, we hoped for better luck when 
we became more accustomed to their movements. 
Passing through a row of pandanus- trees, we 
soon afterward, at the seventh mile, came to a 
slow-running stream of clear water, which the 
natives called Baikana, and rested for a few 
minutes under the shade of some fine tall trees 
growing by its side. White, black, and green 
cockatoos sported over our heads, but they were 
sufficiently wary to keep out of shooting dis- 
tance. 

We peppered one or two, but they flew off, 
no doubt, to inform their friends, who took time- 
ly warning and kept away. Two miles farther 
on, our path crossed the western slope of a rocky 
mountain called Nebila. The Maikabu country 
(for such was the name of that we had been 
traversing) is an extremely poor one. It is true 
that along the centre or deepest part of the val- 
leys there is a narrow bed of alluvial soil ; but 
when we come to compare its small extent with 
the immense tracts of barren country all around, 
the infeitility of that part of the country Is at 
once apparent. 

Descending the other side of the Nebila Pass 
by an easy gradient, we saw beneath us a beau- 
tiful green plain, resembling a field of spring 
wheat, and differing in the freshness of its color 
from anything we had passed. Such was its 
height and luxuriance that at times we were hid- 
den from one another, and found difficulty in 
wading through it, the track being completely 
lost. As we emerged into the open again, the 
sun was pouring down his melting rays, so that 
we were glad to avail ourselves of the welcome 
shade offered by a row of trees growing to a 
height of one hundred feet, with perfectly up- 
right tiunks. Beneath them grew a sort of 
dwarf palm, frequently known as the " lawyer 
palm," on account of the numberless sharp thorns 
with which the stalks of its leaves are armed, 
and from which, when once entangled, it is dif- 
ficult to disengage yourself. The swampy nat- 
ure of the ground here denoted that we had ar- 
rived near a stream which at times overflowed 
its natural banks, and in another minute we were 
sitting on the pebbly beach of the River Laroki. 

The distance from Anuapata proved to be 
about ten miles, and we had been nearly four 
hours in walking there. The river was twenty- 
five yards wide, and, although evidently much 
below its usual depth, it was still very swift. I 
made Boi understand I wanted to know where 
the river flowed. Pointing westward, he said, 
''^Laroki — lao, lao, lao, lao-Manumanu," stretch- 
ing out his arm farther and farther at each word 
lao, and literally meaning, "Laroki — ^goes, goes. 



goes, goes to Manumann," the number of " goes'' 
implying that it went a very long way in the es- 
timation of the natives. It is sometimes spoken 
of as the River Manumanu ; but so little inter- 
course have the people with each other that the 
name of a river becomes changed during its 
course, being generally called after some village 
through which it passes. There is little doubt 
but that it is the same river as the Usborne of 
Captain Moresby, flowing into the sea close to 
the village of Manumanu. I shall speak of it in 
future as the Laroki. We were about to undress 
and have a plunge, but Boi cautioned us with 
the wor^ds, Lasi last — "No, no" — opening his 
mouth to its full extent, saying, Uala, tika — 
"Alligator, bad." He nevertheless had a bath 
himself, as well as the other natives, but it appear- 
ed afterward that they feared our white skins at- 
tracting the attention of the brutes. It was a 
treat to drink its sparkling waters, especially 
when diluted with a slight tincture of cognac. 
Doves of the species Ptilinopus were especially 
numerous, and we shot several of these beautiful 
birds. We frequently saw the rare Malura al- 
berventris, or little black-and-white wren, flut- 
tering among the tall grass or low shrubs. We 
also found footprints of the cassowary. A ter- 
rific thunder-storm now broke over us, the heavy 
rain spoiling many of my birds and drenching us 
to the skin. 

We returned tired and foot-sore, for a twenty 
miles' march in the climate of New Guinea is too 
much to be pleasant. The ground in some places 
is so rocky that unusually strong boots are re- 
quired, and mine, having been unfitted for a coun- 
try of that nature, were entii-ely cut to pieces. I 
should recommend strong laced-up boots, with 
plenty of stout nails on the soles, for without 
them the feet soon become sore, and, when once 
sore, remain so for a long time. I had ordered 
some among m)' outfit from Brisbane, but I have 
already alluded to my misfortune in having been 
disappointed at the last moment by the firm who 
had undertaken my commission. 

CHAPTER VIL 

NATIVE CURIOSITY. — MARRIAGE CUSTOMS. — HAB- 
ITS OF THE CHIEFS AND PEOPLE. — CHARMS. 

For some days after our return my feet were 
so painful as entirely to prevent my leaving the 
tent ; but by the use of cold cream and bandages 
they gradually got better, though they never act- 
ually healed for three months ! 

Much of my time was, therefore, spent sur- 
rounded by an average of thirty natives all the 
day through, from seven o'clock in the morning 
till the shades of night set in. Do what we 
would, it was impossible to keep them out ; they 
flocked round us as though my tent was a wild- 
beast show, and at eating- time their numbers 
generally increased. It might have been a den 
in the Zoological Gardens. Under such circum- 
stances, and with the oppressive heat of 108° in 
our tent, we required a considerable amount of 
patience and endurance. Every few minutes 
some one would bring an article for sale, such 
as a crushed beetle, a tattered butterfly, a dead 
shell, many things entirely useless ; but they 
imagined we ought to buy all, asking repeatedly 
for kuku and akev, tobacco and beads, and re- 
maining hours in hope of obtaining some of these 
highly prized commodities. Even little babies 
learn to utter the word kuku before tinana, 
"mother." I never knew a people so fearfully 
fond of this weed. Kuku is their god, whom 
alone they Avorship and adore. The word kuku 
escapes their lips more than any other in the 
course of the day, and is ever in their thoughts. 
Its praises are sung in their hehonis, or night- 
chants, and your health is smoked with it in the 

daytime : 

" Nea, nea mama bnaboa, 
Sigore kuku waka" 

is often heard ere the pipe is placed to the lips. 
It is the cause of joy, the cause of sorrow, the 
cause of friendship, the cause of enmity, the cause 
of content, and the cause of discontent. A tra- 
dition says that the tobacco seed was first found 
in Ilema, and introduced by a woman named 
Iva. The ladies are as great adorers of kuku 



10 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



as the sterner sex, and hold their own among the 
men, some a little more than their own. They 
are not down-trodden or degraded like the women 
to the west, but are the principal traders, driving 
the hardest bargains, and talliing as quickly and 
loudly as possible. 

In the evenings I sometimes played the violin, 
though in such a manner that an English au- 
dience would assuredly have kept away. How- 
ever, my performance had quite the opposite ef- 
fect here, and I often had no less than one hun- 
dred people admiring the squeaky notes drawn 
from its greasy strings by an unresined bow. 
The melody thus produced cnnnot have been 
very sweet, but my audience appreciated it thor- 
oughly, coming up in daily increasing numbers 
to listen to the wonderful instrument from which 
so many sounds could be obtained. 

" iMusic hath charms to sootlie the savage 
breast," and knowing this, I had brought an in- 
strument, which I had fortunately been able to 
procure in Somerset from the steward of a pass- 
ing ship, the Singapore. It was not a good one, 
as I have already intimated, but answered my 
expectations admirably. 

Old 11a, the greatest chief of the Motu — the 
king of the neighborhood — became very fond of 
taking up my fiddle and bow, and scraping away 
to the great delight of all around. From the 
mildness, I might almost say sweetness, of his 
expression, no one would have thought he had 
been a gi-eat warrior in his time. He had no 
idea of his own age, but I imagine he must have 
been about sixty-five years old, short, with feat- 
ures wrinkled and weather-worn, a high, wide 
forehead, and small dark, twinkling eyes. His 
hair was short, and stood up in a series of small 
black locks, among which a few silver threads 
were visible, and he spoke with a gentle and 
pleasing voice. He is generally as naked as the 
others, but now and then takes it into his head 
to come out in a night-gown cut short, that had 
been given him. Having recently been deprived of 
two out of his tln'ee wi^■es by measles, he appeared 
to endeavor to make up for their loss by securing 
from us as many presents as possible, which he 
asked for in such an agreeable way that it became 
impossible to refuse. His fascinating manner 
may perhaps account for his being the only man 
I found who had ever had three wives living at 
the same time. Kuba, the next chief, is a very 
different man ; tall, pitted with small-pox, of a 
most unintelligent, if not displeasing counte- 
nance, and as great a beggar as the greatest. 
Boi, tiie other chief, became a great friend. They 
all possessed some good qualities, though these 
are mucth disfigured by thievish and begging 
propensities. The principal chiefs of Tanapata 
are Hini and Masseri ; and the chief of Ilivara 
is named Pipi. 

Of these Hini was the most importunate ; he 
has a numerous family, who follow the example 
■of their worthy parent in this respect. One of 
his daughters, named Buruma, meaning pig, was 
perhaps the prettiest girl for miles round. Her 
face was round and features regular, with dark, 
languishing eyes, long eyelashes, and well-pro- 
portioned body. She seemed to be aware of lier 
beauty, and was not a little vain of it. 

She always wore a dogs'-teeth necklace, which 
had been given her by her lover, as a token of 
their engagement. The following articles, or 
some equivalent for any one among them that 
the suitor does not happen to possess, are neces- 
sary to induce a father to consent to his daugh- 
ter's marriage : one dogs'-teeth necklace, or do- 
dom ; one pearl-shell, or mairi ; one pig, or bii- 
ruma ; one nassa-shell necklace, or tautau (about 
six folds); one stone tomahawk, or ila; one white 
cone-shell armlet, or tola ; one spear, or io ; and 
two women's girdles, or ramis, made from the 
sago palm and colored. The number of wives a 
Motu may possess is limited only by the amount 
of his riches; notwithstanding this, it is quite 
the exception for any of the Papua-Mahori race 
to have more than one wife, as their women 
strongly object to the system of polygamy. 

With the darker race, the pure Papuans, how- 
ever, plurality of wives is common. Few men 
over eighteen years of age remain single, but, as 
a rule, their progeny is not numerous. 



The Tanapata and Ilivara natives are more 
active and noisy than those of Anuapata ; and 
when the moon, which is unusually brilliant there, 
sheds her light upon that infidel people, they com- 
mence a monotonous chant in three notes, which 
they continue to the beating of their drums un- 
til one or two o'clock in the morning, or even 
till sunrise. The fluctuations in time give to this 
chant the effect of music, more than the varia- 
tion of the notes can possibly do. The chant 
resembles one that is sometimes played on a bed- 
room door, "Go to bed Tom, go to bed Tom, 
get up in the morning and beat your drum," re- 
peated ad infinitum. 

This is often varied by the whining of a quan- 
tity of lean dogs, too uncivilized to bark. 'Their 
noise is hideous, as though they were being 
thrashed with sticks, and when one commences 
all the rest join in. I know of no race of human 
beings unable to speak ; and when I first heard 
of a class of dogs unable to bark, I was exceed- 
ingly incredulous, for I imagined both equally 
natural gifts. But these animals can only whine 
and yelp, and this they do in the most piteous 
tones imaginable. 

The days passed rapidly away, and it was get- 
ting time to make anotlier excursion inland. 

On the loth I had a fence constructed all 
round my camp, leaving a clear space of four 
feet. It was put up by the natives themselves, 
and when finished proved of great service. It 
not only allowed us to unlace the back entrance, 
but kept the natives from placing their hands 
underneath the tent - cloth when outside, and 
stealing our things, which they had often at- 
tempted. Such a vigilant watch, however, had 
been kept upon their actions, that we had lost 
only a few trifles ; and had sometimes caught 
them just in the act of extracting a hatchet, 
knife, pair of scissors, or other article. Neither 
men nor women seem to have any sense . of 
shame, excepting when discovered in a theft, nor 
then at the act of stealing, but at the supposed 
disgrace of being found out. They excel in this 
kind of petty pilfering, but are timid, and dare 
not attempt, under ordinary circumstances, to 
force open a box. Their morals are superior, as 
a rule, to most savage tribes, but they are far from 
being modest. They are fairly intelligent, quick 
in comprehension, and not slow to resent a sup- 
posed insult, but capable of appreciating kind- 
ness, and soon become attached. 

A person who would fill them incessantly with 
food — aniani — and give them tobacco, would 
be their very best friend. He would live in 
greater safety among them than in some Euro- 
pean cities. They appear ungenerously disposed 
compared to the South Sea Islanders, but the 
truth is they have very little to give away. Fowls, 
yams, and even pigs are not uncommonly pre- 
sented by the natives of the Polynesian Islands, 
in return for kindness ; but fowls have only re- 
cently been introduced into New Guinea, yams 
are scarce, and pigs (first imported by Captain 
Cook) are by no means plentiful. No wonder, 
then, that food is so highly valued, and that a 
gift of anything eatable becomes an important 
matter. 

Once or twice we received small presents of 
unripe bananas (which never ripened), or a co- 
coa-nut, or the smoky leg of a wallaby. The 
usual payment for a cocoa-nut was the lid of a 
gun-cap box, full of red beads ; but, on an aver- 
age, not more than three were offered for sale 
per week. 

Their standard of religion is at its lowest. 
They are perfect infidels, believing in no God ; 
but they have a sort of belief that after death 
their spiiits will inhabit the space above the sea, 
called by them taurau. 

A few years ago they had no idea of any land 
existing but their own, and when at rare inter- 
vals the sails of some distant ship, which had no 
doubt lost its reckoning, were seen on the hori- 
zon, they believed them to be a spirit, or yaoha 
floating over the surface of the deep. This and 
the fear of an evil spirit, called vata, appear to 
constitute the only semblance of any religious 
feeling that exists among them. They attribute 
any extraordinary occurrence to the supernatural 
agency either of man or of vata. Stone charms 



are sometimes placed in the houses of the Motu 
to cure an invalid, and in the plantations to make 
them more fruitful. They are usually but a few 
inches long and roughly carved, sometimes in 
the shape of an egg-glass, with a small projec- 
tion on one side. Charms are also worn in the 
dance and in war by many of the tribes, for the 
purpose of giving supernatural endurance and 
strength. At such times the natives carry them 
in their mouths. 

CHAPTER VIII. 

PREPARATIONS FOR A JOURNEY INLAND. — UN- 
WILLINGNESS OF THE NATIVES TO ACCOMPANY 

MK. DEPARTURE OF THE LAKATOIS. A 

CHIEF CAUGHT IN A THEFT. HUNTING FOR 

VERMIN. 

It was now time to commence packing up for 
our second excursion inland, and the ICtli was 
devoted to that purpose. 

As we could not calculate upon finding natives 
willing to carry our necessary provisions, etc., I 
fixed upon thirty pounds as the limit, if possible, 
for each of us to carry, including in that weight 
twelve pounds of cabin hiscuits. However, when 
everything that could be dispensed with was re- 
jected, we found that each person's load or 
"swag," as it is commonly called in Australia, 
amounted to no less than forty-five pounds. Un- 
der a tropical sun, during nearly the hottest sea- 
son of the year, and over a mountainous and 
rocky country, this weight was terrific — it was 
too much for a cool climate, and there it was 
insupportable. What were we to do ? We had 
offered every inducement we could think of to 
any natives who would accompany us, but none 
volunteered — they seemed afraid of the Koiari or 
inland tribe. 

A guide to Munikaira, a friendly Koiari vil- 
lage, supposed to be about twenty miles oft", 
would have been extremely useful, for there we 
might perhaps have obtained other assistance. 
In the evening most of the chiefs agsembled in 
my tent. 

Old Ha, the chief of chiefs, spoke first, the 
interpretation being somewhat as follows : 

" These Biritanis " (the missionary had taught 
them to call us so) " wish to see our great coun- 
try, they wish to see the great mountains far, far 
off" (in reality not more than forty miles away), 
" to go where we have not been, but we ask them 
to stop here. What will they not get if they 
persist in going ? Fever, ague — no, they will 
never come back, and then the Biritanis will 
send a big ship and will say to us, ' What have 
you done to our people that they are not here?' 
Whatever happens to them, they will say we kill- 
ed them, and then burn down our villages and 
kiU us all." 

The others exclaimed, "It is so." 

Then Boi said, " My leg is bad, and therefore 
I cannot come." 

It is true that he had an abscess forming upon 
the calf of his right leg, but that had not pre- 
vented him from being our guide to the River 
Laroki a few days before, nor did it prevent him 
from hunting now. 

Then spoke Kuba: "The lakatois are going 
to start to-morrow ; they will carry many men 
— we their fiiends must see them all off — and 
then all that remain will be your guides and car- 
riers to the Koiari village." 

" Kuba," I involuntarily said to myself, "you're 
an old liar !" 

Then Hini, the Tanapata chief, put in a few 
words, to the effect that he felt very unwell him- 
self, or otherwise he would have gone on the 
morrow, not only to the village of Munikaira, 
but much farther. 

" Hini," thought I, " you're a scoundrel !" A 
remarkable number felt ill that evening who had 
been perfectly well, begging for beads and tobac- 
co, in the morning. 

Even Jack and Harry came to say that their 
' ' stomachs trembled " — the literal translation 
for boka-itola — and they feared they must have 
eaten something that disagreed with them. 

As it was perfectly useless to attempt going 
alone with such heavy packs on our backs, and 
without knowing a word of the Koiari dialect, 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



11 



we were compelled to postpone onr journey until 
the first favorable opportunity. The following 
day, which I had previously fixed for our depart- 
ure, came and went, but the canoes remained 
stationary, and the men went out wallaby-hunt- 
ing as usual. 

Jack and Harry came up, patting their stom- 
achs and saying they were better, no, doubt think- 
ing we should not go inland for some days, and 
that in the mean time they would be able to live 
on our provisions, and then could be taken ill 
again. 

Although regular little rogues in their way, 
we were glad to see them, for they were very 
amusing, besides helping Broadbent and Petterd 
to carry back the birds which they shot daily in 
the mornings and preserved in the afternoons. 
Their virtues were more to us than their faults. 

Another day came and passed away, but as 
night approached a gentle south breeze sprung 
up, and we were induced to hope that the ca- 
noes, which were already nearly a month later 
than usual in starting, would depart on the mor- 
row, and we were not mistaken. The next day, 
the 19th, was one of wailing and gnashing of 
teeth at Anuapata. In the evening the six ca- 
noes, carrying two hundred men, all set out upon 
their trading expedition, regarded by them as a 
very formidable undertaking, much in the same 
light as a stage-coach journey from Edinburgh 
to London used to be before railways came into 
use. It is an epoch in their lives, a feat to be 
spoken of with pride — they even date events 
from it. The parting scene was truly affecting: 
a great rubbing of noses, and then wives clasped 
their husbands round the body and hung down 
their faces as if overpowered with sorrow. Lit- 
tle sons and daughters embraced their fathers' 
legs, and all wept, so that their wailing might be 
heard afar off. Grown-up daughters and wives 
grasped their hair convulsively, and in some cases 
tore their flesh with their nails, until the blood 
oozed forth, and then separated. As each laka- 
toi pushed off from shore, it was followed by the 
female relatives in single canoes, to escort the 
brave heroes a few yards on their way, and to 
take a last parting farewell. This etiquette was 
truly European, but the tout ensemble had any- 
thing but an English appearance. As they ap- 
proached the mouth of the harbor, the sun set 
brilliantly behind, tingeing those naked figures 
with a crimson glow. Scarcely had the western 
range of hills, forming one extremity of the bay, 
intercepted them from our view, than night, which 
there so quickly succeeds day, taught us — 

"In her starry shade 
Of dim and solitary loveliness, 
The laugH.ige of another world." 

But we could not help thinking of them. 
Though nominally an annual affair, this exodus 
had not taken place last year, as in their last 
voyage some of the canoes were wrecked and 
several lives lost. They had suffered much from 
hunger in consequence, and were obliged to live 
for a long time upon the fruit of the mangrove, 
which, although possessing sufficient nourishment 
to support life in an emergency, is at all times 
an unwholesome and unpalatable vegetable. 

We had indulged in the hope that our camp 
would now be less troubled by visitors, but in this 
we were disappointed; for though fewer men 
came, the women became more numerous, and 
one woman was as noisy as two men. On the 
whole, however, I preferred the women, for they 
were more willing to remain outside than the 
men. 

Hini, the Tanapata chief, came to see me 
early next morning. I was alone, as the re- 
mainder of my party had gone out shooting, and, 
feeling tired, was still lying upon a rug spread 
on the ground, which constituted my bed. Hini, 
nevertheless, coolly seated himself upon a box 
which served as a chair, on the other side of the 
table. As it had a cloth over it, I could not see 
what he was about, but he kept constantly asking 
for something to eat, which I did not feel in- 
clined to give him just then. After some min- 
utes he got up and said Lau lao — "I go" — and 
walked out. 

When he entered, I had remarked ray folding 



corkscrew on the table, but now missed it, and 
immediately called him back. 

On my holding up a biscuit he was induced to 
return, when I took from off his shoulders a small 
bark cloth that he wore on this occasion, and ap- 
peared to examine it, as though wishing to be- 
come the purchaser. He had nothing concealed 
about that part of his body next to me, so I 
walked round to the other side, when I beheld 
the missing corkscrew stuck in his left armlet, 
and took it out. He merely tried to hide the 
shame he felt at being found out by asking for 
tobacco and beads ! I thereupon turned him 
forcibly out, intimating that he would not be re- 
ceived in my tent again. 

Old Ila continued my most welcome visitor. 
He usually brought his little son (by his third 
wife), a nice little fellow (though ignorant of the 
use of pocket-handkerchiefs), four or five years 
of age, for whom he certainly showed a paternal 
affection. The natives will accept any plain 
food, such as rice, pudding, biscuit, or bread, but 
appear to have an aversion to many of our Euro- 
pean eatables. Some will take tea and sugar, 
but they didn't like the looks of our preserved 
milk or tinned meats. 

All are good templars, for no intoxicating liq- 
uor is made by them, not even cocoa-nut-toddy. 
None would taste claret, neither did I wish to 
persuade them ; they said it looked like blood, 
rara. The tinned meats they imagined were 
human, and seemed disgusted at the idea of our 
eating them, which made me feel convinced of 
what I afterward ascertained to be the fact, that 
the Papua-Mahoris are not cannibals, like their 
darker brethren. 

When they saw the various jars and mixtures 
we Biritanis used, many would express astonish- 
ment ; but whether it was Crosse and Blackwell's 
pickles. Lea and Perrin's Worcestershire sauce, 
Coleman's mustard, or Knight's Tasmanian pre- 
serve or butter, none would venture to taste them. 
Among themselves they are generously disposed, 
and share with each other whatever may be given 
to one. in the shape of eatables. A small crust 
or biscuit I have frequently seen divided by the 
recipient into half a dozen portions, who would 
give five away and be content with the remaining 
small portion himself. 

A very favorite pastime, particularly of the 
women, is hunting in each other's heads for ver- 
min. Two, three, or four in a row, sitting one 
behind the other, might be constantly seen in 
front of my tent pursuing their favorite amuse- 
ment. It is a common one among most colored 
races, and a wholesome practice to boot. But 
eating the lice is another affair. I could hardly 
believe my own eyes when I first saw them en- 
gaged in this disgusting employment, yet they 
not only eat every one caught, but appear to do 
it with considerable zest and relish ! Whether 
they believe it nourishing, or take it simply as a 
honne bouche, is not quite certain, but opinion in- 
clines toward the latter theory. 

In the early morning of the 20th I shot my 
first wallaby,* and carried it back in triumph, 
slung across my shoulders. The largest I have 
since killed measured five feet two inches from 
the tip of the nose to the extremity of the tail, 
which is very small in comparison with the com- 
mon Australian kangaroo. 

Wishing to test the people as to their idea of 
gold, I had taken over twenty pieces. I showed 
them a sovereign, but they did not in the least 
know what it was ; and to test them further, I 
held out the twenty pounds, as though offering it 
for a nose-ornament. The chief to whom I made 
this pretended offer thereupon screwed up his 
features, and with a knowing nod said, Tika, tika 
— "Bad, bad" — adding arkev nama, meaning 
"beads very good." I therefore became the 
purchaser of the nose-ornament for a thimbleful 
of red beads, a bargain which pleased both of us 
better. White quartz is abundant in the neigh- 
borhood, but we found none auriferous, nor did 
we see any traces of the precious metal. 

Erom the general similarity, however, of the 
flora and fauna of the country to that of Austra- 
lia, there is every reason to suppose that gold 

* Dorcorpsis luctuosus. 



does exist in New Guinea, though at present per- 
fectly unknown to the natives. The supposed 
existence there of gold has been indiscreetly held 
out by certain enthusiasts as an inducement for 
a " rush." Let it first be found to exist; but in 
the interests of humanity I sineerely hope that it 
will not be discovered at present. We do not 
want a mob to rush madly into a not unfriendly 
country in the pursuit of gold ; it must not be 
permitted, the natives are too few to be murder- 
ed. Government alone can successfully colonize 
it ; but a " colonizing company," without proper 
administration and knowledge of the people, 
would do immense harm. 

CHAPTEE IX. 

SECOND EXCURSION INLAND. TREE DWELL- 
INGS. TRIENDLINESS OF THE KOIARA OR 

MOUNTAIN TRIBE. — A DECEIVER. 

We had been ready for some days to make a 
start inland, and were becoming weary of wait- 
ing, when at last I succeeded in obtaining prom- 
ises from some of the natives to accompany us. 
It was arranged to start early on Monday morn- 
ing, the 22d of November, and that I should sig- 
nal to the men to come to my camp by firing off 
a gun. 

I passed Sunday night without a wink of sleep, 
anticipating what the morrow would bring forth. 

When the faint gleam of the rising moon at- 
tracted my attention through the canvas of my 
tent, I lit a candle and found it was just three 
o'clock. 

Shortly afterward the signal -gun was fired, 
and presently four men, one youth, and Jack 
and Harry made their appearance. 

All were mightily hungry; but after eating 
as much as they could tuck down in the space 
of half an hour, they said they felt better, and 
were ready to go. But when a small load was 
allotted to each, he stared at it in amazement, 
and seemed unwilling to move. 

They are not accustomed to bearing loads, as 
the women do it for them ; and it became evi- 
dent that they didn't intend to carry more than 
they could help on this occasion. 

With some difficulty we made the four men 
carry twenty pounds each, and the others a small- 
er load in proportion to their strength, and we 
set off at five o'clock. One of the Polynesian 
teachers, who spoke a little English, accompa- 
nied us. A mile past the Tapaharti Pass the 
track turned off in an easterly direction, and we 
ascended a hill three hundred feet high, and then 
gradually descended into a fertile valley, carpeted 
with the common long grass, among which kan- 
garoos are plentiful. The character of the coun- 
try consists of precipitous mountain slopes, which 
rise in unutterable confusion, and are sparingly 
covered with the everlasting Eucalyptus, chiefly 
the blue gum species, and here and there witli 
patches of other trees ; narrow valleys, or in some 
parts long stretches of level land, lie between. 
After three and a half hours' walking we arrived 
at a beautiful running stream, wherein small fish 
were plentiful. The country there is called Koi- 
ahi. On wading through the stream, we found 
two wooden platforms, used by the natives for 
sleeping on when travelling from one village to 
another. Having rested beneath some tall trees 
growing on the banks, we proceeded on our way ; 
nor were we sorry to leave our resting-place, as 
the mosquitoes were very troublesome near the 
water. 

Presently we obtained a splendid view of 
Mount Astrolabe (Variata), rising precipitous- 
ly about twelves miles off. It was half-past ten 
when we arrived at another small brook, which 
wound between sago palms, and here we sat 
down to lunch. 

Boki, our leader, was a talkative fellow, an( 
gave us the impression of a person who didn't al 
ways stick to the truth. Nevertheless, he wouK 
pretend to get very angry if we doubted hit 
word. 

"Boki," I said, "you know this part; yon 

have been to Munikaira. In what direction is 

it?" pointing with my finger and describing a 

semicircle. 

• " There, there," he replied, holding up his 



12 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



arm, and waving his hand straight ahead like a 
person frightening flies away. 

" But is it not over here?" I continued, point- 
ing more to the north. "This surely cannot 
be the direction." For it seemed as though we 
were going too much to the east. 

"No, loiapata" (great chief), said he, "I am 
taking you to it. How can you, who have nev- 
er been, know the way ? Wliere would you go 
to if it were not for me?" 

Why should I any more doubt the words of 
one who entertained no cause to wrong me? I 
had perhaps been hasty in expressing myself, 
and we now marched on again in good faith. 

We soon began a steep ascent, until our way 
ran precipitously up a mountain ridge, on which, 
at a height of nine hundred feet, we came to the 
first houses we had seen. There were only two, 
and no inmates visible. We had not met with 
a single native all day, but as we proceeded we 
discerned a few villages in the distance, situated 
on the summits of the hills. On approaching 
the first of these villages, called Omani, our na- 
tives cautioned us not to make the least noise, 
lest we should frighten the people away before 
we arrived. They themselves seemed alarmed, 
we thought, but it might be merely their anxiety 
on our behalf! If one of us forgetfully spoke a 
little loud they cautioned him, so we entered the 
village in silence. 

It is finely situated upon the top of a steep 
mountain ridge, six hundred and seventy feet 
high. It was evident that this was not the di- 
rect route across the peninsula, for we found our- 
selves only eight or ten miles from the sea after 
a sixteen miles' march. 

Exclusive of stoppages, we had taken exactly 
six and a half hours for this distance. 

From Omani, the Astrolabe range can be seen 
in all its grandeur and beauty, about four miles 
beyond. Omani consists of five houses ; one of 
these is built in a tree, high up from the ground, 
as is common in Koiaii villages. When we en- 
tered we found the inhabitants at home, and 
Modiki, the chief, seemed pleased to see us ; 
but the women showed signs of fear at first, and 
ran off to hide themselves. 

Modiki placed at our disposal the front land- 
ings or stages of two of these houses, upon which 
we placed our traps and passed the night. To 
understand what these landings are like, I must 
give a description of a Koiari house. Its length 
averages twenty-one feet, width fifteen feet, and 
total height from the ground fourteen feet. It 
is constructed of stout poles or bamboos, form- 
ing a framework, the sides, roof, and back of 
which are thatched with palm-leaves and the 
leaves of the pandanus. The roof slopes from 
the centre beam like that of an English cottage, 
and sheaves of grass, four feet high, are placed 
as ornaments, or finials, at each end. The floor 
is raised four feet from the ground, and is made 
of sago palm -stalks laid widthways, the broad 
end of one adjoining the narrow end of the oth- 
er. The front is also of palm-stalks, placed ver- 
tically, and has a door of the same material in 
the centre, swinging upon hinges made from 
creeping plants. This front partakes of the nat- 
ure of a partition, as it is placed five feet back, 
thus leaving a landing or stage. It was on this 
part of the house that we passed the remainder 
of the day and night, the roof over that portion 
of it forming a veranda to shade us. 

Modiki ordered a feast of yams, taros, and 
sweet -potatoes for us; and we soon afterward 
saw the women, who had by this time returned, 
preparing it in their earthen-ware cooking vessels 
out-of-doors. We found our host a very jovial 
and friendly person, who had the gift of the gab in 
a remarkable degree, and his voice was as hearty 
as his laugh. He appeared to be constantly jok- 
ing with those around him, but none of us could 
understand more than a few words, as they speak 
a ditferent language to that we had been accus- 
tomed to. Both the Koiari and Koitapu tribe 
dress their hair in the same way, by doing it up 
into a bob like a chignon, which they envelop in 
tappa-cloth ; but the Koiari wear this head-cloth, 
or veribota, less frequently than the Koitapu. 
Kound it they usually wear a head-dress of kan- 
garoo teeth, and a wreath of the sombre-colored 



cassowary feathers. The remainder of their at- ] 
tire is similar to that of the Motu, but, unlike 
the latter, they smear their faces on certain oc- 
casions with ashes. On the death of a relation, 
tlie islanders of Torres Straits, and I believe the 
dark Papuan, likewise adopt this custom. One 
fellow amused us not a little ; his naturally hid- 
eous countenance was made still more so by 
whitening certain parts of it, and a wreath of 
cassowary feathers that nearly covered his eyes 
(for it usually sticks straight up) added to his 
grotesque appearance. He wore a curiously 
shaped ornament suspended from the neck by a 
thin cord. It was called a musikaka, and was 
made of tortoise-shell, twelve inches long by six 
wide, and on the front were fastened three boars' 
tusks. Ked seeds and a couple of shells also or- 
namented the front, while a piece of cocoa-nut 
cloth a quarter of a yard wide, overlaid with 
feathers, hung down behind to a depth of four 
inches. A string of lai'ge hollow seeds which 
clanged together completed the ornament. I 
was puzzled to know the meaning of this noisy 
addition, but our hideous friend was very willing 
to show us. 

First he went back a few paces, and then, tak- 
ing it from its suspended position, held it to his 
mouth by a mouth-piece. His face immediately ' 
assumed a defiant expression, as, spear in hand, 
he rushed frantically forward at an imaginary 
enemy with great speed, and then suddenly stop- 
ped, dodged about, and ran forward again. This 
he continued until he appeared pretty well blown. 
It proved to be a charm for giving supernatural 
strength and endurance in time of war. Noth- 
ing could induce hira to part with it, as he be- 
lieved that even Vata, the evil spirit himself, 
would think twice before attacking a person pos- 
sessed of such an instrument. 

If you ask a Koiari where Vata is, he will 
point to the summit of the highest mountain; 
whereas, if you ask a Motu, he will point over the 
sea. Both firmly believe in his existence, and 
regard him as the dread Spirit of the Night, who 
hovers around during the darkest hours, and 
whose powers to destroy are infinite. In the vil- 
lage were a couple of graves. They bury their 
dead close to the houses, and, as in Eastern 
Polynesia, place most of the earthly belongings 
of the deceased over the grave. I will endeavor 
to describe one of those I saw : a circle of stones, 
about thirty inches across, was on the ground, 
and, supported by these stones, a number of 
sticks about four feet long were placed nearly 
upright, meeting and leaning on one another at 
the top. A grass girdle (as the deceased was in 
this case a woman) was fastened round the sticks, 
and over it was placed probably her only other 
possession — an earthen-ware bowl. 

In the evening we astonished the natives by 
sending up a rocket. They were very much 
frightened when the rush of sparks took place on 
lighting the fuse, but when it rose above the val- 
ley and burst into a shower of brilliant stars they 
shouted with delight and surprise. As the 
many- colored stars fell to earth and died out, 
the excitement gradually subsided, and they 
breathed freely once more. Soon afterward we 
lav down to sleep, but sago palm-stalks, though 
clean and neat-looking, do not make the most 
comfortable floor. They present a series of sharp 
ridges, and having nothing soft to lay upon them, 
we passed an uncomfortable and sleepless night. 

Long before the sun rose on the following 
morning we were winding down into the ravine 
below, making for a village on the summit of a 
mountain opposite. The natives who had ac- 
companied us informed us, to our surprise, that it 
was Munikaira. Although only two miles ofi^ in 
a direct line, yet the hilly character of the coun- 
try m:ide the journey extremely tedious. After 
a descent of three hundred feet, we had to ascend 
nine hundred feet by a very steep and rugged 
path. 

A few men — including Modiki the chief^and 
some women from Omani, accompanied us into 
the valley, bringing vegetables in net-bags. We 
seated ourselves on the banks of a small stream 
while these provisions were being cooked in our 
honor. Sugar-cane of fine growth was added to 
our vegetable meal ; it was the first we had seen 



in that part of the country, and was quite a treat. 
The soil here is black, and less stony than that 
in the immediate neighborhood of Port Moresby. 
It appeared evident from this and other indica- 
tions that the farther it is from the sea the more 
fertile does the land become. The golden orioles 
(Eulabes dumonti) were plentiful here, and we 
shot some of these beautiful birds. 

So long had we to wait for our repast, that the 
sun was high in the heavens before we finished 
it, and could move on. 

At last we began to ascend the mountain, and 
on nearing the summit, which we reached by a 
very precipitous path, we came to the village we 
were told was Munikaira. It consisted of fifteen 
houses similar to those already described, all fac- 
ing an open space, and forming around it a soi't 
of oval. Tlie total distance from Anuapata is 
eighteen miles, and the height above the sea 
1200 feet. One house of rather smaller dimen- 
sions than the rest could not fail to strike the 
stranger's attention, from its very picturesque and 
commanding appearance : it was constructed 
among the foliage of a tall tree, overlooking the 
Omani valley. The floor was thirty feet above 
the ground, and was reached by a rough bamboo 
ladder, the steps of which were about eighteen 
inches apart. All the Koiari villages contain 
one or more houses built in a similar manner, 
and I was informed that they are so constructed 
in order that Vata, the evil spirit, whom both 
the Koitapu and Motu tribes fear, and who is 
supposed by them to wander about the earth at 
night, may have greater difiiculty in approaching 
it. At the same time they answer all the pur- 
poses of a sentry or lookout station, for which 
they are essentially suited. As we entered the 
village, we saw no one except four men sitting 
on the ground beneath the chief's house. They 
had heard we were coming, and therefore were 
not astonished to see us, and shouted to us what 
we took to be words of welcome. Natives now 
came from all quarters and seated themselves be- 
side us. Some carried wooden spears, but most 
came unarmed, and seemed perfectly friendly. 
The two chiefs, Abaka and Vanika, caused the 
usual feast of yams, taros, and sweet-potatoes to 
be prepared for us, and by the time it was ready 
we had partially regained our appetites. I was 
struck by the fine appearance of my new ac- 
quaintances, whose muscular development seemed 
superior to that of other tribes of the peninsula ; 
their height is, however, below the average. One 
cause of their physical superiority is the greater 
abundance of food in the intei-ior. Tliey are 
quite as intelligent as the natives of the coast, 
and more energetic in their mode of talking and 
gesticulating. Smearing their faces with white 
ashes does not improve their features : old Abaka, 
with his Punch-like nose, looked a queer object 
indeed. No one there had seen a white man be- 
fore, and some had not even heard of the exist- 
ence of such a race, at which I wondered. One 
would naturally have supposed that the news of 
a white missionary living so near as Anuapata, 
especially as he had been there several months, 
would have reached them all. But the Koiari 
seldom journey down to the coast, for they have 
at home almost everything they lequire to sup- 
port life. The principal object which induces 
them to visit the sea-coast is to bring back rabia, 
or sago, and salt. They often return with bam- 
boos tilled with sea-water. When I showed them 
a tin of white salt they all clustered round, and 
ate what was given them with as much greedi- 
ness as a school-boy does a lump of sugar-candy. 
I should recommend any one contemplating a 
journey inland to be well provided with this ar- 
ticle of diet, as a little may go a long way toward 
establishing friendly relations with the natives. 
They were greatly delighted with the whiteness 
of our skins, and opened their eyes wide, at the 
same time giving a sort of low whistle, as they 
pulled up our sleeves and trousers or opened our 
shirt fronts. Vanika, one of the chiefs, now de- 
sired a gun to be fired ott', which was done. On 
hearing the report, both he and some of the oth- 
ers fell, with their faces flat on the ground, in evi- 
dent terror. One might have thought they were 
shot. Gradually they recovered and, turning 
t'eir faces slowly round in the direction of the 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



13 



sound, resumed their sitting posture. We re- 
frained from trying the eti'ects of dynamite upon 
the tall tree with the house in it, anticipating cer- 
tain strong objections to that kind of practical 
joke, and gave several of the natives some strips 
of turkey-red calico instead. Beads, which had 
reached even Omani on a small scale, were not 
worn as ornaments by any here, another evidence 
how small must be the intercourse of the inhab- 
itants with the coast tribes. The women are not 
good-looking, as a rule, but they enjoy the priv- 
ileges and freedom of the Motu women, and are 
not the down-trodden creatures we see among 
the pure Papuans. They fetch water in long 
bamboos, firewood and vegetables in net-bags, 
look after the plantations, and do the cooking. 
Hunting, digging, and making implements and 
ornaments are the duties of the men ; both sexes 
are fond of basking in the sun, and smoking when 
possible beneath their houses, or in the shade of 
the veranda. Their war implements are stone 
clubs and spears, which taper to a sharp point at 
each end, but are barbed at only one. Suspend- 
ed on the landing of most of the houses was a 
novel sort of net, for catching wild-boar. The 
framework is of strong cane, eighteen inches in 
diameter, having a projection answering to a han- 
dle. When the pig is speared, but not fatally 
wounded, the framework of the net, or korda, is 
firmly held by a second person, who endeavors to 
get in front of the wounded beast, and, as it rush- 
es toward him, to push it over its head. The 
pig's head easily penetrates the meshes, but he 
finds it difficult to extricate himself or turn to 
bite his captor. He is then easily killed. 

From the upper part of the village a grand 
view is obtained of Mount Astrolabe, rising near- 
ly four thousand feet, and wooded almost to the 
summit. As a few hours only would suffice to 
reach one of its peaks, I intended to ascend it 
on the morrow, when an unforeseen occurrence 
took place. The natives refused to go farther ! 

' ' What, " said they, "is the use of us going to 
Mount Vai-iata [Astrolabe] when we find mikanis 
[kangaroos] in the valleys, and have all we want 
to eat here ?" (pointing to the plantations). ' ' If 
there were anything to be got there, we might 
go, but you wish to look at it, and we cannot un- 
derstand. We can see it from here, instead of 
going to the habitation of Vata." Abaka, the 
chief, said, "We can find no one from our village 
to go with you, and we fear you will lose your 
way and die. We shall then be blamed, and your 
friends (the Motu) will make war upon us. " His 
words were translated into Motu by Mabat, one 
of our men, and then interpreted into English by 
the Polynesian teacher. We told him we could 
find our way ; we simply wanted to go and re- 
turn the following day, for the purpose of looking 
at the Tokari country on the other side, and that 
if we saw Vata we would shoot him. I wanted 
our men to remain one night in the village, even 
if they were resolved to return on the morrow, 
but no amount of persuasion could induce them. 
It was now late in the afternoon, and the men 
packed up the yams they had purchased, and, 
■without asking payment for having come with us 
so far, were on the point of setting off on their 
return, when the old chief Abaka, seeing we were 
remaining without them, came up and said, 
"Those white people cannot stay here; if they 
do, all the vilhige will leave before sunset — we 
are frightened." 

As I was loath to give cause for ill-feeling by 
turning the whole population of one hundred 
people from their homes, I gave orders to pre- 
pare for marching back, and to stay the night 
at Muninimu, two miles off on a different return 
route. Everything was at once in confusion, 
and packing up was soon finished. The natives 
were very much alarmed, and Vanika asked if 
we were getting our guns ready to shoot them. 
Although assured to the contrary, at least three- 
fourths of the inhabitants had cleared out before 
we left, and as we bade adieu to Abaka the place 
seemed a deserted village. Being the first white 
men they had seen, they evidently felt more com- 
fortable without such strangers, armed with im- 
plements of unknown power. I do not for a 
moment imagine they intended to do us any in- 
jury, as their peaceable and friendly reception 



testified to the contrary. At the same time, I 
do not believe it advisable to go unarmed into 
any of these unknown villages, however friendly 
they may appear. An incautious act may often 
arouse hot words, that are more easily quieted by 
wearing an empty revolver in your girdle than 
by firing off a charged one. Patience, firmness, 
caution, and decision are necessary qualities to 
exercise when dealing with a wild, untutored 
people. 

A couple of miles' march along a narrow ledge 
on the steep mountain sides, which in some places 
had given way, rendering the passage one of some 
difficulty, brought us to Muninimu, a small vil- 
lage consisting of four houses situated nine hun- 
dred feet above the sea-level. It has made me 
giddy to ride along some of the narrow mountain 
paths in the Caucasian mountains, but the horses 
there are so accustomed to them that when there 
is not width enough for their two feet abreast, 
they can step along safely by placing one foot in 
front of the other. These Papuan passes, how- 
ever, would be impracticable even for the most 
sure-footed animals, and in some places it is only 
by leaning with your hands against the mountain 
side that you can make any progress. 

A stately old chief and a few women were the 
only occupants of Muninimu as we entered. The 
aged chief was sitting upon the balcony of his 
house, seemingly in the act of contemplating nat- 
ure. Perhaps he was wishing himself dead — he 
certainly looked very melancholy. As we ap- 
proached him, he stirred not a muscle, nor mani- 
fested the least surprise. His face was long, and 
freshly whitened with ashes, while across his fore- 
head he wore a band made of the fur of the cus- 
cus, and encircling his head a wreath of casso- 
wary feathers, that gave his wrinkled features a 
somewhat majestic appearance. We learned that 
his wife had been buried that morning, and a few 
yards off was the freshly filled - in grave, over 
which all her earthly possessions were placed. 
The whole lot scarcely equalled the value of a 
dollar, and consisted of a cracked earthen-ware 
pot, a net-bag, plaited armlets and leglets, a grass 
girdle, and some pieces of cocoa-nut shell used 
for scraping yams. 

They seem to preserve the property of the 
deceased, not from any superstitious motive, but 
from the instincts of affection. I remarked that 
many persons in these villages carried a small 
bunch of green leaves and put it down at our ap- 
proach. This I imagine was a sign of friend- 
ship. The signal of peace usually adopted by 
the Motu tribe is to place the forefinger of the 
right hand to the stomach, and then carry it to 
the nose. In this manner they intend to convey 
the understanding that they are of the same fam- 
ily, the same blood, as those they wish to be at 
peace with. We took up our quarters for the 
night in an unoccupied house, and early the fol- 
lowing morning left Muninimu. The track de- 
scended into a fertile valley to the north of our 
former route, which we rejoined at the row of 
sago palms we had before made use of as one of 
our resting-places. After marching some time 
we arrived at the Koiahi stream, which flows into 
the sea near Bootless Inlet, and here we camped 
for three days, to make shooting expeditions. 
Had it not been for the quantity of mosquitoes 
and blue-bottles that frequented our camp, the 
time would have passed most agreeably ; and even 
though they were a constant source of annoy- 
ance, the hours soon slipped away. 

The natives who had hitherto accompanied ns, 
fearing to remain, deserted us and made for their 
own villages. We were, therefore, entirely by 
ourselves, and while my collectors went out shoot- 
ing in the mornings, either Hargrave or myself 
would remain behind to look after the tent and 
equipments. The first morning a party of kan- 
garoo-hunters discovered our camp. The oth- 
ers were away shooting, and the calls of the 
hunters struck upon my ears at a distance, and 
came gradually nearer and nearer. Then I saw 
a couple of fine wallabies dash through the long 
grass and make for the stream. A dozen men 
were rushing after them with spears, shouting 
the words o-o-i, o-o-i, to attract the attention of 
the animals, and make them stop to see whence 
the call proceeded. On noticing the tent, ho\v- 



ever, all stopped suddenly, and seemed to hold a 
consultation. 

Presently one, whom I took to be a chief, on 
account of the quantity of feathers he wore about 
his head, came forward, stopping once or twice 
as though hesitating. On coming up to my tent, 
I signalled him to sit down outside, and he tlien 
held out four yahis as a peace-offering, which I 
took, and in return gave him some tobacco. 

A yahi is a fruit growing plentifully at this 
time of the year among the trees that overshadow 
the streams. It is, in fact, a wild mango, in shape 
resembling a plum, about three inches long, with 
a large stone inside, green in color, tasting some- 
thing like guava, with a flavor of turpentine about 
it, very fibrous, and far inferior to tlie Indian 
mango. All the other hunters, who had been 
watching us from a distance, now approached, 
leaning their spears against a tree. By making 
some trifling present to each, confidence was soon 
established, and one of them brought me a bunch 
of bananas on the following day, another a little 
sugar-cane, and a third the hind leg of a walla- 
by. They were our friends and we were theirs, 
and some of them afterward came to see us at 
Anuapata. They brought also new friends, and 
we had to submit each time to the ordeal of ex- 
hibiting our white skins. I say white, although 
in reality they had become very brown through 
exposure. I bathed once in the stream, but the 
mosquitoes were so desirous of making my ac- 
quaintance that I preferred disappointing them, 
and did not go again. Blue-bottles, too, by hun- 
dreds, lost no time in depositing on our clothes 
thousands of eggs, which were hatched on the 
moiTow into minute maggots, the thickness of 
thread, and a quarter of an inch long. A blank- 
et was fixed in front of the tent door to throw 
more shade, and beneath it, when the tent became 
too oppressive, we used to sit ; but it was not ex- 
actly comfortable to feel the maggots diop]iing 
upon your uncovered head. It was, however, 
almost a necessity, for no sooner was one brood 
hatched than another was just ready. In the 
stream was a plentiful supply of small fish resem- 
bling perch, about eight inches long ; and having 
some dynamite with us, we thought a fish-dinner 
would not be unpalatable. We exploded a charge 
in a water-hole six feet deep, where the fish seem- 
ed most numerous, and easily obtained as many 
as we required. They tasted exceedingly good. 

The country here was an extensive plain wood- 
ed with gum-trees, and its rich black soil was 
mixed with decayed coral. It proved a pretty 
good collecting ground, furnishing several species 
of birds. Fly - catchers, doves, paroquets, the 
blue mountain -parrot, the yellow-crested white 
cockatoo, the great black palm-cockatoo, bower- 
birds, sunbirds, and kingfishers were among the 
most common species. We also shot a turkey 
and some brush-hens, in addition to other birds, 
the names of which will be found in the list of 
birds collected by me (vide Appendix). 

Land shells of any description are scarce, not 
only here but all over the district ; nor are rep- 
tiles or coleoptera by any means common. A 
beautiful tree grows here bearing small tufts of 
pale yellow, faintly scented flowers, growing both 
on its trunk and branches, and beneath the shade 
of its dense foliage butterflies and bees are ever 
busy gathering honey from the bloom. Flowers 
of any description are extremely rare and far be- 
tween. The white water-lily is found on the still 
pools, also a small w'hite flower, about the size 
and shape of a snow-drop. We saw some beau- 
tiful white ground-lilies, the flowers about eight 
inches across the petals, growing in whorls upon 
a stalk a foot high. I also found a magenta-col- 
ored lily of the same shajie growing in niarsliy 
land. A light straw-colored flower, with five pet- 
als, growing on a bush and measuring two inches 
across the bloom, is also found, as well as a small 
plant bearing blossoms not unlike a piimrose, 
but with a deep red centre and a thick yellovv 
pistil. The double hibiscus is met with occa- 
sionally, and is used by the natives for ornament- 
ing their heads. The white jasmine also Ijlooms 
here, bringing to my remembrance, with its de- 
licious odor, the flower-gardens of home. A spe- 
cies of clover, the forget-me-not, daisy, and but- 
tercup were also observed by some of my party. 



14 



A PEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



On the 27th we started back to Anuapata, be- 
ing compelled to carry our own baggage. Great, 
indeed, was our surprise and wrath when the first 
words we heard from the missionary on arriving 
were, "You haven't been to Munikaira at all; 
Boki deceived you." It turned out to be per- 
fectly true, and the rest of our followers, includ- 
ing even little Jack and Harry, had been in the 
plot, though we could not find out why or where- 
fore they objected to go to this viUage more than 
to any other. The village we had supposed to 
be Munikaira proved, therefore, to be that of Ipi- 
kari. The great diiiSculty of travelling in this 
country without ponies or other baggage ani- 
mals, or at the very least without proper carriers 
from another country upon whom you can de- 
' pend, is perfectly apparent. 

If at the last moment the traveller can procure 
the services of a few natives, they will not carry 
more weight than from fifteen to twenty- five 
pounds each, and then will take him to the 
wrong destination if any advantage is to be gained 
by so doing. They are always so hungry too, 
and hide so much biscuit (the chief support of 
life on such a journey) on every possible occasion, 
that provisions will not last half the calculated 
time. They are such liars that it is impossible 
to put implicit faith in anything they say, and 
'such thieves that, unless constantly watched, 
hatchets, knives, beads, and tobacco stand but 
little chance of being seen afier a few days. 
They can never be induced to go far from their 
own homes, nor to remain more than a few days 
in the country of another tribe. Their best char- 
acteristic is that they seemed disposed to be 
friendly to the white man, unlike the pure Pap- 
uans who live to the west of New Guinea. They 
are ready to assist the traveller in their own vil- 
lage, by fetching water, firewood, putting up 
fences, collecting, and similar trifling services. 

I had asked Ruatoka, one of the Polynesian 
teachers, his wife, and three widows, to look af- 
ter my camp at Anuapata during our absence. 
Owing to his having slept there every night, and 
to their combined vigilance by day, 1 fortunately 
found eveiything as it had been left. 

Scarcely had I entered it when Boki — who, it 
will be remembered, had been our leader — came 
in, and with great effrontery seated himself on the 
ground, beggingformore beads,cloth,and tobacco. 

He had already been paid his due for taking 
US, and had stolen my two best American hatch- 
ets on the way, so I immediately turned him out, 
and told him not to show himself again inside 
the fence that surrounded my tent. 

The others received the same payment as if 
they had not participated in any deception ; for 
I thought it better not to break the promise of 
reward I made with them before leaving, not- 
withstanding they had not fulfilled their contract. 

CHAPTER X. 

CANOE-COASTING. — SOME EFFECTS OF THE CLI- 
MATE. ANOTHER EXCURSION TO THE RIVER 

I.AROKI. 

On the 30th of November I visited by boat, 
accompanied by Hargrave, two villages situated 
on the sea-coast south-east of Anuapata — Papa- 
kori, seven miles, and Pari, nine miles distant. 
The former contains a population of two hun- 
dred, in thirty houses, and the latter is double in 
population and size. Being Motu villages, they 
are built in the ordinary manner, upon piles 
driven into the beach, presenting a somewhat 
tumble-down and unsubstantial appearance. The 
Koitapu village of Patsiri stands upon a hill 
four hundred feet high, behind Papakori, con- 
taining one hundred and fifty inhabitants. Pap- 
akori is shaded by a grove of cocoa-nut-trees, 
and we were able to purchase some of the fruit 
with our tobacco. Both villages were compara- 
tively deserted, many of the inhabitants having 
gone on the trading voyage to Ilema, as the 
country north-east of the Gulf of Papua is called. 

They received us in a friendly manner — not 
with the same hospitality shown by the Koiari, 
but for this they have not really the means. 
Several large banana plantations exist immedi- 
ately behind Pari, but bear very little fruit, and 
all we were able to secure were a few unripe 



bunches in exchange for red beads. They were 
much cheaper than at Anuapata, not, however, 
owing to food being more plentiful, but because 
beads were scarcer. It becomes a struggle for 
existence to procure the requisites for sustaining 
life in this part of the peninsula ; and hence it 
is a matter of necessity for all to store up every- 
thing they can accumulate, to exchange for sago 
on their trading voyages to Ilema, and for cocoa- 
nuts and other vegetables when they go to Ki- 
rapuno, the country lying south of the Motu, 
the chief trading village of which is Hula. The 
Hula natives are great fishers with nets, which 
are exceedingly well made, and are superior even 
to those used by the Motu tribe. The string of 
which the nets and bags are made is woven from 
the leaves of a fibrous plant, called sihi by the 
natives, and in texture and strength compares 
favorably with any of European manufacture. 
A wooden spear, or karaut, resembling a besom, 
is also sometimes used in fishing. In Pari a 
few of the women were busy making earthen- 
ware pots, this art being confined to the Motu 
natives. Birds were not very plentiful there, 
excepting coots and spur- winged plovers, which 
were very tame and easy to shoot. 

We then visited the small island of Manupata 
(named Locol Island by Captain Moresby), sit- 
uated about two miles from Pari. It is unin- 
habited, and possesses no fresh-water springs or 
supply of water from any source. The highest 
point is about two hundred feet above the sea ; 
the cliffs on the shore rise perpendiculaiiy from 
a coral and stony beach, and the slopes are cov- 
ered with coarse grass and a few gum-trees. A 
bay of deep water lies to the north-west, offering 
good shelter from the south-east monsoon. We 
climbed to the highest point, and as I gazed 
upon the outlines of the noble mountains that 
rose on the main-land in all their grandeur, peak 
behind peak stretching far away to the distant 
horizon, my mind was lost with admiration, awe, 
wonder, and praise at the works of the Almighty. 

But to the traveller, intent on exploring these 
unknown heights, they wear a most formidable 
aspect. 

Before leaving Manupata — signifying the 
" land of birds " — we shot some white and slate- 
colored herons and golden snipe. A light south- 
east breeze usually springs up at this season (the 
end of November) about noon; the early morn- 
ings are calm, or ushered in by a land-breeze. 
We soon rounded Era (Paga Point), and by sun- 
set found ourselves in Anuapata harbor. The 
evenings now frequently brought thunder and 
lightning, the flashes forked and brilliant, and 
the peals of thunder reverberating among the 
more distant and lofty mountains. At such 
times rain usually fell for a few minutes, and 
then rapidly passed away. We therefore made 
a small trench round our tent to keep the inner 
ground dry ; but the canvas was not quite wa- 
ter-proof, which made things rather uncomforta- 
ble inside for the time being. It not unfrequent- 
ly rained inland when fine along the coast. 

The natives informed us that this year (1875) 
had, on the whole, been an exceptionally fine 
one ; but the climate is always very equable. I 
was enabled before leaving to make out, with the 
assistance of the missionary, a table of the heat, 
rainfall, and prevailing winds at Anuapata, from 
the 1st of January to the 31st of December of 
the present year, which I herewith give : 





HEAT. 


Inches 

ofRain- 

fall. 


Prevailing 
Winds. 


Average 
Temperature 
at 9 o'clock 
in Morning. 


Minimum 
Night Tem- 
perature. 


January 

February. . . 

March 

April 

May 

.Tune 

July 

August 

September.. 
October 

November.. 
December... 


89° 63' 

90 43 
89 4 
87 7 

87 7 

85 5 
83 4 
83 3 

83 4 

84 8 

89 S 

90 1 


73° 95' 
73 73 

72 6 

73 7 . 

75 2 

74 5 

73 9 

74 2 

73 3 

75 3 

74 5 
74 4 


2.66 

4.68 
2.76 
8.56 

2.30 

2.30 
0.35 
1.30 
2.20 
1.25 

0.23 
6.85 


Light variable, 
\ gen'ly N.W. 
1 Light N.W., 
i often W. 
N.W., often W. 
( Variable N.W. 
1 & S.E. 
( S.E., sometimes 
1 N.W. 
S.E., fresh. 
S E., strong. 
S.E., strong. 
S.E., very strong. 
S.E^ strong. 
jS.E., light: of- 
1 ten N.W. 
( Light variable, 
i N.E. & S.W. 


Entire rain 


fall dnring th 


e year 


34.44 



From this it will be seen that the most rainy 
months are from December to April (inclusive), 
and the finest from May to November (inclusive). 
The average morning temperature for the year 
was 86° 71', and night temperature 73° 85'. 

Notwithstanding the equability of the climate, 
it is not a healthy one. Among the Earotonga 
and Savage Island native teachers and their 
wives, numbering thirty -four, of whom twenty- 
two had been located on the east coast of the 
Gulf of Papua only one j'ear, and the remainder 
two years and a half, no less than seventeen 
deaths had already occurred, nine of which took 
place between December, 1874, and November, 
1875, from fever and ague. The deaths among 
the teachers to the west of the Gulf of Papua, 
called the western branch of the New Guinea 
Mission, were as nearly as possible in the same 
proportion. Nor were attacks of intermittent 
fever confined to the native teachers, for it soon 
invaded our camp, and with more or less severity 
affected each member of my small party. 

We were not long in discovering how exceed- 
ingly difficult it is for sores to heal in this cli- 
mate. My walk to the Laroki occasioned two 
small blisters, which in another climate would 
have healed in a day or two, but here they fes- 
tered and became so much inflamed that it was 
not without pain I walked to Ipikari a month 
afterward. During that walk a small thorn ran 
into my hand, and caused it to fester so much 
that it had to be bandaged for a week. Once, 
while bathing in the sea, I hit my leg against a 
rock and cut it slightly ; and it fe.-^tered and be- 
came inflamed all round, and so painful that I 
could scarcely stand upon it for a long time af- 
ter. We all jiad small festers in many parts of 
our legs, where the barbed prickles of the grass 
had pierced through our trousers and penetrated 
the flesh. The least scratch or sore of any kind 
turned in every case into a nasty fester, which 
the flies irritated and did their best, in addition 
to the climate, to prevent healing. 

One da)' I walked to the summit of Mount 
Tapaharti, accompanied only by Boi, the chief, 
who acted as guide to the Laroki. The day was 
magnificently clear, and the Owen Stanley range 
stood out in the far distance in all its grandeur 
of outline. Owing to the extreme clearness of 
the atmosphere, I was enabled to discern many 
ranges of mountains that had escaped observa- 
tion on previous occasions. Laying a sheet of 
foolscap on the ground, and placing a pebble 
toward one edge of it, I said, "This is Anua- 
pata." Boi looked puzzled, but, after further 
explanations by signs and broken Motu, he un- 
derstood that the pebble represented his own vil- 
lage, and the sheet of paper the country around. 
I repeated the names of a few of the coast vil- 
lages to the north-west, laying down a pebble to 
represent each village till I came to Laval (Yule 
Island), requesting Boi to tell me any others he 
knew of farther in the interior. He then pro- 
ceeded to place several more pebbles upon the 
paper with apparent anxiety as to their right 
position, the name of each being written down 
at the same time. At last, after some persua- 
sion on my part and thought on his, my map 
was completed. However, when I cross - ex- 
amined him as to the direction in which the vil- 
lages lay, and found he pointed in totally differ- 
ent directions from those he had marked, saying 
that they were tautau — "a long way ofi^" — I 
confessed that my map was a failure. It is 
literally impossible to obtain accurate informa- 
tion from the natives, especially when you know 
but little of their language. 

A second excursion to the Laroki, where we 
spent a few days without seeing a single native, 
proved very successful, as we shot some entire- 
ly new birds. The vicinity of that river proved 
an excellent collecting ground. Though only a 
few miles from the Koiahi stream, yet its natural 
productions differed remarkably. Many birds 
appeared common near the banks of the Koiahi 
that we could not find in the neighborhood of 
the Laroki, though the country close to the latter 
had by far the greater variety. The various 
noises that disturbed the night air are indescrib- 
able. What we supposed to be alligators crush- 
ed the withered branches in the adjoining swamp 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



15 



with their enormous weight, and bellowed like 
bulls. Flying foxes continually flapped their 
wings among the trees, turkeys rustled about 
ere dawn of day, jackasses laughed with all their 
might, ducks quacked, geese cackled, and a hun- 
dred other birds made the atmosphere vocal with 
sound. The tracks of the cassowary, which, so 
far as we yet know, is the largest land animal of 
New Guinea, were met with in more than one 
place. Some of the birds may be here enumer- 
ated ; among these many are beautiful, while 
on account of their comparative rarity all are 
highly prized. These are the cassowary, crown- 
ed pigeon, fruit pigeons (four species), doves 
(several species), kingfishers (four species), bower- 
bu'd (two species), parrots (several species), brush- 
hen, cuckoo-pheasant, metallic starling, fly-catch- 
ers (several species), small black-and-white wrens, 
turkeys, and ducks, etc. We saw a couple of 
crowned pigeons (Goura coronatus), beautiful 
lavender - colored birds, two feet six inches in 
height, with magnificent crests most delicately 
pencilled ; but though we wounded one it escaped 
across the river, much to our disappointment. 
In returning to our camp at Anuapata we were 
caught in a storm, by which several specimens 
were irretrievably injured. 

CHAPTER XL 

FINAL JOURNEY INLAND. — SVi^IMMING A KIVER. 
— LnXIJRIANT VEGETATION. — MEET WITH 
BIRDS - OF - PARADISE. CAMP IN THE INTE- 
RIOR. — SHOOTING KANGAROOS. — MOSQUI- 
TOES. — ARRIVAL OF H.M.S. "CONFLICT." 

It was now time for a final attempt to pene- 
trate into the interior, but I had entirely given 
up my idea of crossing the peninsula. The in- 
adequate means at our disposal for the carriage 
of provisions and other necessaries, combined 
with the utter impossibility of obtaining suffi- 
cient or reliable men, rendered it useless to en- 
tertain the faintest hope. Our most sanguine 
ideas contemplated only the possibility of explor- 
ing as far as the great Owen Stanley range, 
which runs along the centre of the peninsula. 

I fixed upon the 7ih of December for starting, 
and long before it was light the three Koitapu 
youths and one Koitapu man who had engaged 
to accompany us to Munikaira made their ap- 
pearance at the door of my tent. Although this 
number was insufficient for the carriage of sup- 
plies, yet I felt fortunate in procuring even these, 
as no Motu natives could be induced to go. The 
youths carried about fifteen pounds each, and 
the man half as much again, while my party, in- 
cluding myself, each carried from twenty to 
thirty pounds, making a total weight of about 
one and a half hundred-weight. Two ordinary 
Chinese coolies could have undertaken the whole 
load ; yet the natives appeared to think their 
burden great, and we found ours quite as much 
as we could carry in such an overpowering heat. 
I was glad on some accounts to have Koitapu 
people with me instead of Motu, as they are on 
better terms with the inland tribe, and their lan- 
guage more nearly resembles that of the Koiari. 
Indeed, many words are the same, but the Motu 
language is almost entirely distinct. Koiari and 
Koitapu may be called separate dialects of one 
language, but Koiari and Motu are distinct 
tongues. 

The chief of Baruni (the Koitapu village near 
Anuapata) had promised to meet me with more 
men, but they preferred remaining at home, I 
suppose, for we saw nothhig of them. 

We arrived at the River Laroki at a point 
four miles higher than that we had previously 
visited. It was here between thirty and forty 
yards wide. Its source is in the high mountains 
to the north, and it is considerably enlarged in 
its course by streams from Mount Vetura and 
Mount Variata, between which it flows. 

It now became a question which was our best 
method of crossing the rapid current. We speed- 
ily constructed a rough raft, and sending a couple 
of men to keep it from capsizing, and others to 
pull it along with a rope, we succeeded, after a 
few journeys to and fro, in getting our baggage, 
including the clothes we were wearing, in safety 
to the opposite shore. We then plunged into the 



river, a little higher up, and swam across safely, 
after landing midway on a small island, toward 
which we were washed by the force of the cur- 
rent. The natives, meanwhile, set up an un- 
earthly yell, in order, as we discovered after we 
landed, to frighten the alligators away; but we 
doubted if the noise had not rather an opposite 
tendency. We had crossed over into the Koiari 
country, and following the windings of the river 
for some distance through thick trees, and then 
emerging on to a fertile plain, in another hour 
we entered the village of Momili. It consists 
of six houses, built on poles, as in the other vil- 
lages, all facing a common centre, in which a 
platform is erected. The inhabitants had for- 
saken it for a time, on account of the scarcity of 
food, and had gone farther inland : we therefore 
took possession, and made use of the houses for 
sleeping under. We preferred doing this to 
sleeping inside, as the floors are so uneven. Close 
to us was a swift-running rivulet, which I named 
the Vetura, from its rising north of the Vetura 
chain. It flows into the Loroki, and after heavy 
rains must be much swollen, as some immense 
trees, evidently washed down by the current, tes- 
tified. Veins of white quartz are discernible 
among the variety of rocks and stones that com- 
pose its bed. 

On the other side of this rivulet was a planta- 
tion of banana-trees and sugar-cane, about six 
acres in extent, neatly fenced round to prevent 
the encroachment of wild pigs and kangaroo ; 
this is a common precaution. The bananas had 
all been gathered. Before they ripen, the bunches 
are usually tied carefully in green leaves, to keep 
off birds and insects, and also to enable the fruit 
to come to perfection more quickly, for the 
banana appears to "love darkness rather than 
light," and ripens more readily in the dark. 
Tame pigs are kept by a few of the natives, and 
some are fine and fat. The young pig is. longi- 
tudinally striped with yellow, brown, and black, 
every other stripe being black ; but as it grows 
these colors blend into one, until the animal as- 
sumes a dark-brown appearance. The head is 
much longer than that of most species, but the 
bristles with which the top of its body is covered 
are not so long or wiry as those on a Russian 
pig, which more resemble a hedgehog's. 

The most striking object in the landscape 
around Momili is Mount Vetura, three miles off; 
but the clearness of the atmosphere makes it ap- 
pear nearer. It is a pagoda-shaped mountain, 
forming the south-west point of the range, and 
rising to a height of about twelve hundred feet, 
the lower part being clothed with vegetation. 
Upon the summit is a table-land covered with 
JSucalypti and other trees. The Vetura range 
may be about eight or ten miles in length, and 
forms an amphitheatre of hills averaging one 
thousand feet in height. 

Early the following morning we left Momili, 
and proceeded toward Mount Vetura along the 
bed of a rapid mountain stream, whose slippery 
and water-worn rocks made it anything but easy 
travelling. A steep ascent of one thousand feet 
brought us to the village of Keninimu, after a 
five hours' march, notwithstanding the distance 
from Momili was so short. It was one of the 
most fatiguing walks I ever had, and we were 
heartily glad to remain the night at the village. 
It contains ten houses, but on our approach some 
of the women fled, and the men seemed alarmed. 
The chief was ill with an abscess on his foot, so I 
went to see him, and made him the usual pres- 
ents of beads, tobacco, turkey-red cloth, a knife, 
and looking-glass ; in return for which he sent 
me some cooked yams and bananas. The wom- 
en soon i-eturned, but we saw them stowing away 
several bags of vegetables, fearing we should 
steal them. We were surprised to find cucum- 
bers growing here, which were delicious eating, 
though very small — only about nine inches long. 
A small wild melon, scarcely larger than a goose- 
berry, as well as the ordinary watermelon, is 
found in the plantations, though not abundantly. 
Laying in the sun, and carefully wrapped in 
leaves, as if placed to dry, we remarked a fruit 
that none of us remembered having seen before. 
It was long and narrow, like Indian -corn, six- 
teen inches long by five wide at one end, and 



only half that diameter at the other. Small sex- 
agonal pips, of a brilliant red, nearly an inch 
long, coated the internal cone. It weighed about 
five pounds, and the juice stained everything it 
came in contact with an indelible dye of pure 
vermilion. We understood that the natives eat 
this fruit, but in what manner they cook it (if at 
all) I cannot say, as this was the only time we 
saw it. It was probably the fruit of some palm. 
The refuse of sugar-cane, ejected from the mouth 
after chewing, covered the ground, plainly show- 
ing we were in a land where it is plentiful, and 
that it constitutes an important article of diet 
among the mountain tribes. Indeed, the charac- 
ter of the coimtry now became greatly altered. 
The open forests of gum-trees suddenly ceased, 
and the rock-strewn hills give place to mountains 
richly clothed with vegetation, consisting of lofty 
trees and dense tangled scrub, through which, 
excepting by track, it is impossible to penetrate. 
Ferns, crotons, creepers, and several species of 
palms decorate these untrodden recesses. Ow- 
ing to the frequent rains that occur among these 
inland mountains the soil is extremely fertile, so- 
that the hills as well as the valleys are capable- 
of culture. 

Here the bird-of-paradise, which we had not met 
with nearer the coast, made its appearance. It 
loves tall trees and luxuriant undergrowth. We 
shot one the evening of our arrival, which proved 
to be the Paradisea raggiana, the same bird I 
found so common one hundred miles up the 
Baxter River. They were then, in September, 
in full plumage, but now, unfortunately, had lost 
their magnificent side plumes, which are renew- 
ed every spring, and add so vastly to their beauty. 

It may seem strange, when we consider how 
often birds -of- paradise of the commoner kind 
are seen in shop-windows, yet I believe it is a 
fact that the one I shot on the Baxter was the^ 
first that had ever been shot by any Englishman,, 
excepting Alfred R. Wallace.* That enterpris- 
ing traveller stayed some months in the neigh- 
borhood of Dorey, to the north-west of New 
Guinea, where birds-of-paradise chiefly abound, 
and where he was fortunate enough to find many 
different species ; though the Paradisea raggiana 
was not among them. 

The next morning (December 9th) we left Ke- 
ninimu, and wended our way along the top of a 
mountain ridge to the villages of Matogorogoro 
and Farunumo. 

The total distance of our journey from t!ie 
sea had been about twenty-five miles, in a north- 
easterly direction ; but such a terra incognita is 
New Guinea that even this distance was greater 
than any pi-eviously accomplished on foot. As 
the men who had come with me so far were bent 
upon returning with all possible haste, and as 
from none of tiiese villages was I able to procure 
carriers to take their places, we were reluctantly 
compelled to erect our camp in the neighbor- 
hood, lialf-way between Matogorogoro and Far- 
unumo, which are a mile apart. If it had been 
possible we should have pushed on by ourselves, 
but from the nature of the country and other 
causes this was simply impracticable. It would 
have been necessary to have taken our provisions, 
besides camp equipage, and my two collectors 
were not strong enough to carry much, so that 
Haigrave, who was full of energy, and a veritable 
Hercules, had been obliged to relieve them. 

An enthusiastic traveller can easily sympathize 
with me as I stood on that Farunumo range, 
gazing eagerly toward the great Mount Owen 
Stanley, and lamenting my ineffectual efforts to 
reach it. Mountain behind mountain arose, 
clad with interminable forests, contrasting strik- 
ingly with the barren and parched-up appear- 
ance of the country toward the coast. Truly 
we had entered the paradise of the peninsula, a 
land requiring only the cultivator to make it 
"flow with milk and honey," but we got no 
farther. 

Matogorogoro contains six houses, and Faru- 
numo twelve, and our reception at both villages 
was exceedingly friendly, as it had been else- 
where. The ridge upon which they are situated 
comes to so narrow an edge that the poles sup- 

* Author of "The Malny Arcbipeliigo.'' 



16 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



porting the back of the houses are driven into 
the hill-side. We saw in each of these villages 
houses built in high trees as refuges from Vata, 
their evil spirit, like those we had previously 
noticed, and Faiunumo contained as many as 
three. Koawagira, the chief of this village, 
whose head was decked out with cassowai-y 
feathers, and whose face had been freshly black- 
ened for the occasion, nearly blocked up the nar- 
row thoroughfare with his huge body as we en- 
tered. He was a fine, strapping man, though, 
like most others, short of stature ; but his chest 
was very fully developed, and the muscles stood 
out in every part of his body, like an English 
smithy's, for 

"The muscles of his brawny arms 
Were strong as iron bands." 

We were not unexpected, as some of his people 
had seen us in Keninimu, and had conveyed the 
intelligence of our arrival, and our intention to 
visit them. About twenty natives stood near 
Koawagira, most of whom carried finely carved 
spears, very superior in make to those used by 
the Motu tribe at Port Moresby. Other natives 
stood or sat on the ground, in front of their res- 
idences, eying us at a respectful distance, with 
no little astonishment. I found Koawagira a 
most jovially disposed person, vivacious, ener- 
getic, merry, and full of expression in his talk. 
You might almost make out what he was saying 
by his gesticulations, the different expressions 
his face assumed, and I could read his feelings 
at the moment of meeting us. They were not 
unmingled with some doubt about our intentions, 
as the shortness of his breath while speaking, 
and a certain nervous movement of his lips, 
clearly denoted ; but on my making him the 
usual presents, his happy nature gained the vic- 
tory over his fears. 

I shall never forget with what glee he smack- 
ed Iiis naked posterior with his right hand, as 
he saw his black face reflected in a looking-glass 
for the first time in his life. It was a most com- 
ical scene to witness. This peculiar bodily 
movement is a sign of joy, and an expressive 
one when accompanied by an exclamation and 
a burst of laughter. The glass was handed 
round to the others, who followed his example. 
Those who had been watching our movements 
from a distance, now began to cluster round us 
to see what was taking place, and to look at our 
white skins, which they seemed to think were 
black ones whitened over. On tucking up our 
trousers and opening our shirts to convince them 
we were not painted, a noise arose, resembling 
the sound of distant artillery. It was the out- 
burst of their joy and admiration, indicated in 
the peculiar fashion above described. They all 
seemed merry and very demonstrative, laughing 
and talking as though life brought no cares upon 
them. "And yet," thought I, "these jovial 
fellows, who seem happy as a sunny day, have 
no religion, are untaught, uncivilized ; but into 
what town in any Christian country could I go 
and find the same feeling of content pervading 
it ?" This is an enigma difficult of solution, un- 
less, indeed, the explanation may be summed up 
in one sentence, the love of money and intoxicat- 
ing drinks which unhappily characterizes civilized 
nations. 

Shortly after our arrival, Urubiai, the chief of 
a village called Gokoroto, came to visit us. He 
was accompanied by several of his people, and in 
appearance was so mucli like Koawagira that for 
some time I was under the impression that it 
was he to whom I was endeavoring to make my- 
self understood. Presently, however, Koawagira 
himself appeared again, bringing with him sev- 
eral more people, and on discovering my error 
I made Urubiai the usual present, and the ex- 
pressive manifestations of joy we had witnessed 
a short time before were again indulged in. 

My collectors had gone out shooting, so that 
Hargrave and myself were left alone to look af- 
ter our visitors, who, in consequence of addi- 
tions to their number from other villages, must 
have amounted to nearly a hundred. 

Among Koawagira's followers were a couple 
of women bringing a return present from him, 
which they carried in net-bags, hung from the 



top of their heads. For curiosity's sake I will 
enumerate the articles of which the present con- 
sisted, namely, thirty sticks of sugar-cane cut into 
lengths of about three feet (which would have 
made one stick the length of a factory chimney), 
ten yams, ten taros, ten sweet-potatoes, and one 
bunch of bananas. This was a most acceptable 
gift. Nor was it all the native supply our tent 
could boast of ; for, seeing that the women who 
carried them received a few beads for their trou- 
ble, others followed their example in such haste 
that there was soon no room left to stow away 
any more. The chiefs and some of their friends 
clustered beneath the tent, filling it to overflow- 
ing, and making it insufferably hot, while the rest 
squatted on the ground in front, or stood look- 
ing on farther back. They were much more or- 
derly than the same number of Europeans would 
probably have been under like circumstances, 
and respected our property more than the Motu. 
Indeed, when the shades of night drew nigh, and 
we were once more quiet, not a single article 
was missing. I do not, however, say with cer- 
tainty that they are an honest people, although 
I did not find them otherwise ; it might be the 
fear of an unknown race, supposed superior to 
their own, that restrained them. It is well for 
white people to show their power among an 
untutored race, though fire, bloodshed, and the 
sword should never be resorted to unless in ex- 
treme cases. 

Acting on this principle, I took the first favor- 
able opportunity to show them, innocently, the 
use of fire-arms. Koawagira was sitting next 
me, and it was with some difficulty that he was 
persuaded to keep his seat while my revolver 
was fired off. The decayed trunk of a tree, 
about twenty yards oflT, served as a target, and 
at this I fired with as much rapidity as possi- 
ble. On looking at him he appeared exceeding- 
ly frightened, and took hold of ray right arm 
with both his hands, casting his eyes aloft. The 
words main, main— "pence" or "friend" — 
brought him to himself again, so I fired off my 
Martini rifle at some birds that happened just 
then to settle in a tall tree a quarter of a mile 
away. The shot struck the branches, and I was 
looking for the improbable chance of a bird fall- 
ing, when, on turning round, I found Koawagira 
and all his people were nowhere to be seen, but 
heard a voice at some distance crying out mama- 
huta, meaning "good-night." The ponderous 
chief was then discerned some distance up the 
hill on the road to his village, and, though evi- 
dently frightened, he returned my wave of the 
liand. Firing a gun now and then proved a po- 
lite way of getting rid of company when too fre- 
quent, and I indulged in it occasionally for that 
purpose. 

We soon gained the confidence of those who 
visited our camp, and had then no difficulty in 
securing the services of a couple of men to ac- 
company my collectors In their shooting excur- 
sions, while several youths were glad to collect 
beetles and other insects in the neighborhood. 

The features of the Koiari differ considerably 
in individuals, but the color of the skin is more 
uniform than among the coast tribes, and is as 
dark as the darkest among the Motu, and of a 
rich chocolate color. Some have aquiline, and 
some flatter noses. In a few the eyes are slight, 
ly Mongolian, like those of the Siamese. Their 
faces are generally elongated, with prominent 
cheek-bones, high foreheads, black and frizzy hair, 
and large mouths. Their lips are not so coarse 
as among the dark Papuan, and their chins are 
finely shaped ; many among the elder men wear 
short curly beards, mustaches, and whiskers. The 
teeth of the men are discolored by chewing be- 
tel-nut, ox fara — a habit peculiar to the Malays. 
Two men I saw here differed fi'om any we saw 
in the peninsula in the mode of dressing their 
hair ; the hair of one was matted like a mop, 
similar in style to that of the Kulkaliga race who 
inhabit the islands of Torres Straits, and that of 
the other was worn in a series of small tufts, cov- 
ering the head. 

We were at some little trouble in taking the 
measurement of half a dozen men and women, 
who could not understand what we were about. 
The average height of the men was five feet 



three inches, and of the women four feet nine 
and a half inches ; the Koitapu, who most ap- 
proach them in manners and general appearance, 
are about two inches shorter ; the Motu one 
inch taller, and the llema two and a half inches 
taller. The girth round the men's chest averaged 
three feet among the Koiari, and two feet nine 
inches among the Motu. 

Some of the ladies visiting my camp here wore 
tight-fitting vests of net-work, in addition to the 
ordinary fringe girdle ; otherwise their costume 
differed little from that of the coast tribes. The 
difference in climate may render this addition to 
their attire a luxury. The head-cloth, or veri- 
hota, worn by all Koitapu men. covering the back 
of the hair, and bound round by a head-lace of 
dogs' or kangaroos' teeth, is likewise used by the 
Koiari, but is less common among them. I have 
offered hatchets — which to them are more valu- 
able than gold — in exchange for necklaces made 
of dogs' teeth, but was quite unable to purchase 
any. I tried to procure one from a Koitapu 
chief, but he said "the snakes would bite his 
legs if he parted with it," and nothing could in- 
duce him to give it up. They are all very su- 
perstitious, and credulous to a degree. Several 
of the older people had gray hair, and I noticed 
some of the babies and small fry had their heads 
shaved, with the exception of a single lock, like 
the Hindoos. The construction of their lan- 
guage, and the character and looks of the people, 
so resemble those of Eastern Polynesia, that I 
am induced to believe the inhabitants of the 
south-east portion of New Guinea have, in some 
far distant time, made their way thither from 
the eastern islands of the Pacific. 

Our camp continued to be the centre of attrac- 
tion in the district, and new faces appeared on 
the scene every day, scanning us with much cu- 
riosity. Many were newly blackened, for the 
sake of beautifying their complexions, with a 
preparation morfe effective than Madame Rachel's 
"beautiful forever" mixture; and others, who 
were in mourning, had smeared their faces with 
white ashes, giving them a somewhat ghastly 
and sea- sick appearance. Thus, although not 
wearing sackcloth and ashes, in accordance with 
Scripture customs, they practise half the Jewish 
method by putting on the latter — a practice that 
obtains also with the islanders of Torres Straits, 
though not with the Motu and other coast tribes. 
A string of beads, to which various shells are 
attached, called a musimusi, constitutes a favor- 
ite forehead ornament of the Koiari. Beautiful 
variegated crotons are not uncommonly to be seen 
stuck in their plaited grass armlets, or about the 
head, and ripe chilies, or muara, of remarkably 
fine growth, are formed into a wreath to deco- 
rate the hair. A small bag of fine net-work is 
generally worn by the men, containing their lime 
{udi), betel (fara), a pungent leaf (kari), and a 
long berry slightly rough on the exterior (uroto), 
possessing a peculiarly spicy and aromatic flavor. 

The year was too far advanced for comfortable 
travelling in the interior (if travelling in such a 
country can ever be called comfortable), for 
heavy rain fell daily at sunset, accompanied by 
vivid forked lightning and terrific peals of thun- 
der, and continued more or less until the early 
morning. December and the four following 
months are some of the most rainy in the whole 
year, and the fall is greater inland than at the 
coast. As the morning sun rises, the moisture 
of the land is converted into vapor, and hangs 
over the valleys, causing a moist heat, which is 
very relaxing to the system, so that the early 
hours of the day, from eight to ten o'clock, are 
felt as oppressively hot ; but as the sun attains 
its meridian, the clouds are lifted slowly from the 
valleys and disperse, and the heat does not ap- 
pear so great, although the thermometer may in- 
dicate a higher temperature. It was one of our 
every- day enjoyments to witness this gradual 
change from our camp near Matogorogoro, at 
an elevation of one thousand feet. We always 
welcomed the first gleam of the sun after the 
restless nights we too often spent. Mosquitoes, 
flying and creeping ants, earwigs, and blue-bot- 
tles, hatching live maggots on the rugs that cov- 
ered us, rendered sound sleep a matter of impos- 
sibility with most of us. The view from our 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



17 



camp was most extensive and picturesque, and 
one of solemn splendor. To the south-west was 
Mount Vetura, rising like the dome of some 
Eastern temple, the range, of which it forms part, 
lifting its peaks in a semicircle around us. Near 
us, a magnificent water-fall precipitated itself 
from the high cliffs in one leap of about three 
hundred feet into a deep gorge beneath. It was 
the only fall we had yet seen in the country. 
Those who know the Staubbach near Interlachen, 
in Switzerland, can form a good idea of this in- 
land cascade, or mariahu, as the natives call it. 
There is another smaller fall half a mile east, 
and to the north rises Mount Owen Stanley in 
all its dignified and forbidding grandeur. The 
whole landscape between is a succession of 
mountains, valleys, and endless forests, which, 
when played upon by the light and shade of float- 
ing clouds, present a picture of striking beauty. 

Mount Owen Stanley was so named after its 
discoverer, who saw it from his vessel, and its 
highest peak is computed to measure 13,205 
feet, though it does not look so high, possibly 
owing to the clearness of the atmosphere. I,t 
has two distinct summits or peaks, joined to- 
gether by a narrow and precipitous ridge. Tiie 
more easterly of these is called Bitoka, and the 
other Birika. The lower part is covered with 
vegetation, but the upper is rocky, and broken 
into deep fissures, clefts, and chasms. We found 
white quartz everywhere, and it was especially 
abundant here. Taking into consideration the 
general similarity of flora and fauna to that of 
the continent of Australia, it may be reasonably 
surmised that the same minerals exist in both 
countries. Captain Moresby alludes to gold 
having been found in the neighborhood of Fair- 
fax Harbor (Port Moresby) by one of his crew, 
but we saw no trace of the precious metal, and 
it is quite unknown to the natives, though it 
may, and probably does, exist among the high 
mountains. Some adventurers who were lately 
induced by false rumors to undertake an expe- 
dition to New Guinea in search of gold, have I'e- 
cently (1878) returned without any success. 

So far as the soil and climate of the interior 
are concerned, they possess all the qualifications 
necessary to the successful cultivation of sugar- 
cane, Indian -corn, tobacco, cotton, coffee, sago, 
and rice. Bananas, yams, taros, sweet-potatoes, 
cucumbers, water-melons, marrows, chilies, grow 
luxuriantly ; while the bread-fruit, betel, mango, 
cotton, and nutmeg trees are indigenous. Pine- 
apples, oranges, grapes, and many other fruits 
and vegetables might be introduced with satis- 
factory results. 

The nature of the country around our camp at 
Matogorogoro made it a difficult hunting-gronnd. 
The steepness of the mountain sides, the dense 
scrub, and the impossibility of following beaten 
tracks, however poor for such a purpose, render- 
ed shooting-excursions both painful and tedious. 
We shot several of the same species of bird-of- 
paradise as we had found before, but they had 
all lost their side plumes. Paroquets of many 
descriptions were especially numerous, and flew 
rapidly across the valleys, generally settling sud- 
denly on some edible tree. We obtained two or 
three shells of the Helix, almost the only land 
shells we saw. The largest was of a dark-brown 
purplish tint, streaked with five yellowish-brown 
serpentine rings. The smaller shell was of a 
light-brown color, so thin as to be translucent, 
and was marked with five spiral lines of a lighter 
shade. They are very scarce, however, and we 
saw none but the two or three brought us by the 
natives. They preferred being paid in red beads 
for whatever we purchased, but seemed also to 
appreciate twist tobacco. At first they could not 
understand what the white crystalline substance 
was they saw us eating with our vegetables, but 
on one of them tasting it a quantity of hands were 
eagerly stretched out for a small portion. With 
them salt is a real luxury, one they seldom enjoy, 
although the human system requires it. At dis- 
tant intervals they journey down to the sea, where 
they drink so much salt-water that it makes them 
ill, and then return with bamboos full of the briny 
element for their wives and families. 

During our few days' encampment near Mato- 
gorogoro I had ample opportunities of seeing 



much of these peacefully disposed Koiari people, 
who were constantly about my tent. I have re- 
frained from using the term "savages," as I am 
inclined to think they are by nature the reverse 
of savage. If, however, the unhappy time should 
ever come for the white man to treat them with 
cruelty and oppression, to kidnap or shoot them 
on the least provocation, as he has too often done 
in Australia, it is impossible to imagine the length 
to which their excitability of character might car- 
ry them. The hostility of several tribes in Aus- 
tralia toward us, and the consequent danger of 
travelling among them, is almost entirely caused 
by our own conduct in the first instance, and it 
is lamentable to think that even now the murder 
of a black fellow among them is considered rather 
in the light of a good riddance than as a crime. 
If a policy of peace and good- will had been adopt- 
ed toward them instead, they would probably 
have been as well disposed toward us as are the 
natives of Java toward the Dutch. From what 
I saw on that island, I am con\'inced that there 
is no system so well fitted for the organization 
and development of a colony, as that so prosper- 
ously employed by the Dutch in their Eastern 
possessions. 

Finding it still impossible, after nearly a week's 
stay in the interior, to procure natives to accom- 
pany us farther, and the nature of the country 
not being propitious for collecting purposes, we 
prepared for our return. For a knife, a thim- 
bleful of beads, a stick of tobacco, and a looking- 
glass each, five natives offered to carry our lug- 
gage back to Momili. As we turned our backs 
upon our late camping-place, leaving behind us 
vast tracts of unexplored country, whose inter- 
minable forests had never re-echoed to a white 
man's voice, and the beauty of whose hidden re- 
cesses have still to be revealed, no wonder if my 
heart felt sorrowful. 

On arriving at Keninimu the natives suddenly 
objected to go any farther, and ran back, after 
putting down their loads in haste, without even 
waiting for any payment; they knew very well 
that they were not entitled to any, as they had 
failed to fulfil their contract. We were, there- 
fore, left in the lurch ; nor was it before several 
hours had elapsed that we succeeded in obtain- 
ing five other men to take their place. The un- 
reliable character of the natives has over and 
over again proved to me the impossibility of 
trusting them either as carriers or guides. My 
feet were so sore it was painful to walk ; and 
both Broadbent and Petterd were weak from at- 
tacks of intermittent fever and ague. 

On re-arriving at Momili we found the village 
just as we left it, and a bag of biscuits that had 
been placed in one of the houses, untouched. 
The men who had carried our baggage returned 
to their village immediately after they had ful- 
filled their obligation, so we were now left en- 
tirely by ourselves. We remained at Momili 
three days, but only one small party of natives 
was seen during that period. I approached 
them, holding up my arras, as I had seen the 
natives do on other occasions, to denote friend- 
ship, and they advanced toward me. They gave 
me a peace-offering of some betel-nut, which they 
carried in large quantities ; and after receiving 
some biscuit in return, they went on their way. 

Kangaroos were numerous among the long 
grass around the village, so that I had no diffi- 
culty in shooting a fine buck the morning after 
our arrival. The flesh is in taste something be- 
tween venison and mutton, and the tail makes 
excellent soup, fully equal, if not superior, to ox- 
tail. The kangaroo, or viikani, afforded fine 
sport while we remained there, so that fresh 
meat was plentiful. Large flocks of white cock- 
atoos cackled in the tall trees growing by the 
rivulet. I counted a hundred at once. Their 
plumes, particularly the yellow crest, are much 
prized by the natives to make into feather orna- 
ments for the head. Parrots' and paroquets' 
feathers are used by them for the same purpose. 

One day Hargrave remarked a bundle sus- 
pended from the floor of one of the houses, about 
eight feet from the ground. On climbing up to 
see what it contained, we found some human 
bones wrapped in roughly made matting. The 
joints had been dislocated after death, and the 



body, arms, and legs, with the flesh still adhering 
to them, lay one upon the other within the bas- 
ket. A quantity of maggots were clotted to- 
gether in heaps about the decaying bones. The 
skull was not there, but we saw a second parcel, 
likewise suspended from the floor, containing a 
jawbone. Search was made for the skull, and 
one was eventually found beneath another empty 
house. The remains are usually buried in a 
grave made close to, or sometimes underneath, 
the house of the deceased. 

Deliciously odoriferous, but small-leaved, lem- 
on-scented verbenas grew profusely around us, 
filling the air with fragrance ; but other things 
were not so agreeable. The mosquitoes wera 
abominably troublesome, especially at night, ren- 
dering sleep without a proper net almost impos- 
sible. In spite of all, the general impression 
that mosquitoes are only found in tropical or 
very hot countries is a mistake. Neither in Per- 
sia, India, Burmah, Java, America, or any other 
country I have visited, have the numbers of these 
pestiferous insects exceeded one -tenth of what 
they did in travelling through Lapland (from the 
Arctic to the Gulf of Bothnia) during the sum- 
mer months. As the sun did not set during that 
journey, there was perpetual day — one cause, I 
imagine, for the multitude of mosquitoes ; and 
as I was travelling chiefly by water, no doubt I 
met with more than I should have done on land. 
I suffered terribly from them during that Lap- 
land journey. On my right arm alone I once 
counted one hundred and thirty ; two pairs of 
trousers were scarcely sufficient protection ; and 
I was always compelled to wear a couple of veils 
round my head, made into a sort of bag. I nev- 
er wish to visit that part of Lapland again in 
summer. 

On leaving Momili, I thought it desirafcle to 
take sufficient provisions with us to last for sev- 
eral days. It had been raining heavily every 
night, and we feared lest the River Laroki might 
have risen so high as to render crossing impos- 
sible. As we had now no natives to help us, 
everything had to be carried by ourselves, and 
my collectors could carry scarcely anything be- 
sides themselves, so that we were forced to leave 
some of our camp appendages, and whatever pro- 
visions we could do without, for the benefit of 
the next fortunate natives who passed that way. 
Even then both Hargrave and myself were well- 
nigh overcome with the weight of our "swags," 
for the day was broiling hot, and there was but 
little shade. 

It is no joke to shoulder from thirty to forty 
pounds' weight of luggage in such a climate for 
the first time in one's life, and I was heartily 
glad when we reached the river that evening. 
We were surprised to find the waters had risen 
but little, so we prepared at once to cross it. We 
soon found the little raft and rope, which had 
been hidden among the tall grass to await our 
return. Placing as much baggage as we could 
upon it, a couple of us swam across with the 
rope, having attached it first to the raft, and by 
pulling as hard as we could from the opposite 
bank we assisted the others who were in the wa- 
ter steadying it. The process had to be twice 
repeated, and after some little difficulty, owing 
to the rapidity of the current, we succeeded in 
getting everything safely over, excepting one 
pair of trousers that toppled off and floated away 
to Manumanu. They proved to be my own ; but 
we fortunately had a spare pair of turkey- red 
pajamas among us, which I appropriated, or 
else I should have been compelled to adopt the 
costume of the country. We camped for the re- 
mainder of the day and that night upon a small 
mound on the river's banks, and arrived at An- 
uapata the following afternoon, December 16th. 

We were astonished to see a vessel anchored 
in the harbor, for so isolated is New Guinea, so 
apart from the civiHzed world, that few ships 
ever come within sight of its coast; and not one, 
excepting the little EUengowan and H.M.S. 
Basilisk, had, so far as I know, ever been in this 
part before. It was quite an event. We soon 
learned it was H.M.S. Conflict, which had been 
ordered to make a detour on her way from Sydney 
to Port Darwin (North-western Australia), to in- 
quire after our welfare and that of the missionary. 



18 



A FEW MONTHS IN KEW GUINEA. 



We were delighted to see her, and hoisted our 
flag directly we reached camp. In the evening 
I gave a salutation by sending up rockets and 
burning blue lights, which was duly acknowl- 
edged by the Conflict. The natives thoroughly 
enjoyed these illuminations, exclamations of ad- 
miration aiising from all three villages with one 
accord. Oue rocket fell close to Hini the Tan- 
apata chief's house, and was placed hj him upon 
a species of hustings erected in front of his 
house. On inquiring why it was put there, I 
was given to understand that it was "a spirit 
from the skies," and was intended as a charm to 
prosper some forth-coming dances or mavarus. 

The next morning, the three chiefs of Anua- 
pata and some natives went with me to the Con- 
flict, anchored about a mile otf, hanng been in- 
vited by the captain. Although onlj' a small 
vessel, yet to the natives it appeared a leviathan. 
Everything was beautifully clean, and shone so 
brightly that the natives gazed in profound as- 
tonishment, not unmingled with awe. The cap- 
tain was very courteous, and offered to fire off 
one of the twelve-pound guns, to give the natives 
an idea of the white man's power. I was anx- 
ious for him to do this, so was pleased at his pro- 
posal, which I myself should have made as a 
stroke of policy, had he not done so. 

We first, however, inspected the armoi-y, and 
the natives seemed greatly struck by the number 
of guns and swords, placed in symmetrical order, 
without spot or blemish. Revolvers and pike- 
staffs were then exhibited, and admired ; but 
some bright steel hatchets i-aised their enthusi- 
asm to its highest pitch. We then went on deck 
again, when a blank cartridge was placed in a 
breach-loading cannon. I gave old Ila the string 
which, communicated with the firing apparatus, 
and told him to give a sudden jerk. Immediate- 
ly the gun boomed forth, and I scarcely knew 
which would have died first, they of terror or we 
of laughter. The lesson was a good one. It was 
with some difficulty that they were afterward in- 
duced to approach a Haly rocket, but finding they 
were stUl alive and unhurt, the chiefs at last vent- 
ured. The fuse was applied, and forth issued 
the fieiy monster, leaving in its trail a line of 
black smoke. It fell into the harbor nearly a 
mile away, and the natives were terrified to see 
the water bubbling up, and smoke rising from 
the deep. Poor fellows, they very much pre- 
ferred eating biscuits in the cabin to seeing any 
amount of such fireworks. Old Ila boasted of 
his feat in firing off the cannon ever afterward. 

The opportunity for sending letters to Somer- 
set was gladly embraced by all, and the follow- 
ing day the Conflict sailed away, and the excite- 
ment caused by her presence totally subsided. 

CHAPTER XII. 

EETURN OF TRADING CANOES. NATIVE DANCES. 

HABITS AND CHARACTERISTICS Oi" THE 

RACES. A MATRIMONIAL SQUABBLE. 

I THINK we were none of us sorry to enjoy a 
few days' rest in my camp at Anuapata, although 
it was not such repose as if the situation had 
been more secluded. 

We weie in the neighborhood of thieves again, 
and had to keep a shai-p lookout ; for, do what 
we would, the natives could not be kept entirely 
from entering our tent. I lost my best American 
hatchet on the very day of our arrival, and never 
afterward found it, although I offered rewards 
for its restoration. My folding corkscrew, that 
had so narrowly escaped being walked off with 
by Hini, the Tanapata chief, again met with a 
fate which made me believe it was lost to me 
forever, but it was destined to turn up once more. 
I have an impression that my best friend, old 
Ila, took it away, in order that he might receive 
a reward for finding it. 

Of course he assured me that some other per- 
son^a Koitapu man— stole it, and that he would 
go to his house and make him restore it. I fan- 
cy the old man was alarmed by my saying no 
more food or tobacco would be given to him un- 
til it was returned ; so shortly after our conversa- 
tion old Ila brought it back, and had, of course, a 
long tale to tell, of which I understood but little, 
and which was no doubt a tissue of falsehoods. 



We now .began to be visited by trading canoes 
- — lahatois — from north and south. The first of 
these had come while we were absent in the in- 
terior, bringing cocoa-nuts from Maiva, as the 
main -land opposite to Laval (Yule Island) is 
called. The people there are taller and half a 
shade darker tlian the Motu, and have no hair 
on their faces, which are larger and somewhat 
coarsei'-looking. Their noses are long, slightly 
distended at the nostrils, and rounded at the 
apex. The forehead is straight and high, but 
not prominent. The cheek-bone is conspicuous, 
the mouth large, the lips fairly formed, the ears 
small, and the feet large and broad. The lobe 
of the ear is artificially elongated in several of 
the men, by wearing ear -tubes (not rings), as 
much as one and a quarter inches in diameter, 
made of a leaf plucked fresh from the tiee, and 
folded up into a sort of funnel. They excel in 
fine net-work, and when in mourning wear three 
or four net collars, varying from one to thiee 
inches wide. Their teeth are discolored with 
betel-chewing, like the Koiari ; but, although the 
tribes living both to the noith and south of their 
country smoke, the Maiva natives had not learn- 
ed to appreciate the use of tobacco. 

The Motu have a very ridiculous tradition 
about the first introduction of tobacco into their 
land. They say that a woman living at Ileraa, 
named Iva, expecting the birth of a child, about 
a century ago, was surprised to see no linng 
thing, but some small seeds. She had them bur- 
ied in the earth, when, to the surprise of herself 
and friends, they sent forth a plant, which was 
thought so exhaordinary and so much admired 
that its leaves and flowers were used as charms. 
At first they supposed it to be nice to eat, but 
afterward they said, "We will not eat our chil- 
dren, but we will burn them, so that their spirits 
may mingle with others floating in spac«." The 
odor emitted was so agreeable, and the sensation 
of inhaling the fumes proved so pleasant, that 
they said, "No one shall know what we have 
found." The news of such a miraculous birth 
and discovery, however, could not long be kept 
secret, and the Motu natives, on one of their 
trading expeditions, succeeded in stealing a small 
quantity, which they brought to Anuapata. They 
could not make it thrive satisfactorily, owing pos- 
sibly to the poverty of tl^e soil ; but the Koiari 
procured some, and cultivated it successfully in 
the interior. As much, or as little, of this maj' 
be believed as the reader feels inclined, but it is 
pretty certain that tobacco was introduced here 
from Ilema. 

On the 20th of December some of the trading 
canoes which had left five weeks previously for 
Ilema returned, wiiile others had gone west as 
far as the Aird River. For some nights previous 
to their anival there was much night-chanting 
in Tanapata ; for though its inhabitants are less 
numerous than those of Anuapata, they are, as 
we had before experienced, much more lively. 
A light land-breeze had sprung up in the early- 
mornings for the last fortnight, which changed, 
an hour or two before mid-day, into a soft south- 
west sea-breeze. The night-chanting, or hehoni, 
was for the purpose of changing these winds into 
a favorable north-west wind, to aid the canoes 
on their return voyage. The chief part of their 
cargo consisted of sago palm, with the sago un- 
extracted, and a smaller portion of pure sago al- 
ready fit for use. The palm-stalk is triangular 
in shape, each side measuring about six inches 
wide, and containing in the centre a pulpy sub- 
stance, which the natives either cut out, or, by 
means of pressure, squeeze, saturated with wa- 
ter, through a sieve. When dry, it looks like 
flour; the sago, in the form of globules, we are 
accustomed to see in England, is artificially pre- 
pared. 

I was once invited to partake of some sago 
that had been cooked by old Ila's wife, so went 
to his domicile. I seated myself on the floor, 
and placing a banana-leaf before me as a plate, 
the lady of the house took a handful of the paste 
out of the boiling pot, and splashed it down for 
my meal. It was the first and last time I cared 
to taste native-made sago. A Persian uses the 
fingers of his right hand to carry food to his 
mouth, but these uncivilized natives use spoons 



made of tortoise-shell and bone, showing a supe- 
rior sense of cleanliness. 

Canoes now arrived from Hula with cocoa- 
nuts, as well as others from Kapakapa and Kaili, 
all situated south of Port Moresby. It may 
seem strange that the Motu, living as they do on 
the sea-shore, should scarcely ever fish, and are 
even willing to purchase fish when occasion of- 
fers. The Hula people, on the contrary, who be- 
long to the Kirapuno tribe, are most expert fish- 
ermen, using a well-made net for that purpose, 
and a fishing-spear, ovkaraut, resembling a besom. 

Almost daily, while they remained here, they 
went fishing close to a reef outside the harbor, 
exchanging the fruits of their labor for earthen- 
ware vessels and red beads, that now constituted 
a considerable part of the Motu's wealth. 

From three to four small beads would purchase 
a fish. With such an influx of visitors and food, 
fresh life animated the place, and plenty reigned 
around. It was a treat to taste again some ri])e 
bananas, and to drink once more the milk of the 
cocoa-nut. The price of a cocoa-nut fell to only 
half a stick of tobacco. We paid the same for 
a good -sized vesselful of water, which had to 
be brought from the only water-hole in the lo- 
cality, half a mile away. My old friend Boi, 
one of the Anuapata chiefs, took Hargrave and 
me one day in his canoe to see the Hula boats 
that were tied to stakes driven into the ground be- 
hind his house. Including about twenty women, 
there must have been from sixty to eighty peo- 
ple on board. Cocoa-nuts were piled up in great 
heaps, and they were cooking fish. The odor 
that greeted our olfactory organs, therefore, was 
more strong than agreeable. I was much struck 
by the great difference between the physique of 
the Hula people and that of any we had previous- 
ly seen. If they were a true sample of the 
Kirapuno, they are without doubt the most hand- 
some tribe in the peninsula, if not in New Guinea. 
The little children's hair is of a light golden 
color, and that of the young men and women of 
a rich auburn ; it grows much darker with age, 
so that an elderl}' man frequently appears to 
have black hair, but on closer examination it is 
generally found to retain a reddish tint. Among 
the Polynesians a preparation of lime is some- 
times used to turn the hair yellow, and it is pos- 
sible that the same means are here employed. 
The hair grows in ringlets or curling locks, which, 
combined with its color, the comparative faimess 
of their skin, their symmetrical features, and the 
fine proportions of their bodies, constitute them 
a people of great beauty. This, however, is only 
the case with young people and children. Some 
of the old hags were positively hideous, though 
as children they are pictures of loveliness. One 
native among the crowd on deck was as fair as 
any European, and with his flaxen hair one would 
never have supposed him to be a native of the 
tropics — similar freaks of nature occur now and 
then among the natives of the South Pacific 
Islands, and generally excite the admiration of 
their fellow - countr^ymen — he was an albino, 
and the only one I saw while in the country. 

The only weapons the Hula men brought were 
sword-clubs, or parus, made of cocoa-nut wood, 
and long spears of the same material, jagged at 
one end. Crowds of people from the trading 
canoes in the harbor paid us daily visits at all 
hours, so that we never enjoyed any real repose. 
The Hula men wear a yellow-stained belt, in- 
stead of the plain uncolored one of the Motu, 
and suspend a shell from their heads by means 
of a lock of back-hair passed through a hole in 
the centre. 

The Koiari and Koitapu wear shells suspended 
in the same way, but from several front locks, 
instead of one behind ; a head-dress, made from 
the fur of the cuscus, is peculiar to them. The 
Ilema and Maiva may be distinguished by their 
finely netted collars and belts ; the Ilema by 
their shell bracelets ; the tattooing also differs 
among the various tribes. Indeed, each tribe 
seems to vary slightly in physique, or has some 
peculiar characteristic of its own in dress, man- 
ners, or usage. 

Anuapata proved the rendezvous of Northern- 
ers and Southerners, a regular metropolis, and 
a complete Babel ; for no less than five distinct 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



19 



languages, besides several dialects, were now 
spoken in the villages. The languages were 
Motu, Ilema, Maiva, Koitapu, and Kirapuno ; 
while tlie dialects were those of Kapatsi and 
Naro in the Maiva, and Kapakapa in the Motu, 
country. No Koiara had yet come down to the 
coast. In what other country can sucli a num- 
ber of languages be found to exist in less than 
two hundred miles of coast-line? 

Night dances were now regularly indulged in 
to welcome the arrival of so many strangers, 
and to celebrate the safe return of their own 
people. They always took place at Tanapata, 
five minutes' walk from Anuapata. Among the 
Motu the unmarried of both sexes join in the 
dances, but among the Kirapuno only the men, 
married and single. They dance, therefore, in 
quite a dirt'erent style, that of the latter being 
particularly graceful and pleasing. Moonlight 
nights are preferred, as no fire or other light 
is kept burning. Dancing takes place on the 
beach in front of the chief s house, commencing 
in the cool of the evening, and sometimes con- 
tinuing until dawn, and it is conducted with 
order and propriety. Just before the sun dis- 
appeared behind the western hills the drums 
would commence their monotonous beating of 
tum-a-tum-tum, tum-a-tum-tum, informing us 
that the amusement had begun. Several times 
I went down to see them, and like 

" Childe Harold, at a little distauce stood, 
And view'd, but not displeased, the revelrie, 
Nor hated harmless mirth, however rude ; 
In 60oth-it was no vulgar sight to see 
Their barbarous, yet their not indecent, glee ; 
And as the moon along their faces gleanrd, 
Their gestures nimble, dark eyes flashing free, 
The long wild plumes that from their head-dress 

streara'd, 
Their drums kept time, while they half snng, half 

scream'd.". 

A clear space about twenty yards long by ten 
wide is left for those who take part in the per- 
formance, while the youngsters seat themselves 
around it, and the grown-up people stand behind. 
The chief with some of his friends look on from 
the veranda of his house. Two lines are form- 
ed facing one another, and if composed of both 
sexes, as among the Motu, the men and women 
stand alternately. Each man carries a drum in 
his left hand, which he beats with his right, and 
all are dressed up as grandly as possible for the 
occasion. The women put on their best-colored 
fringe aprons, which rise and fall gracefully with 
the movements of the dance, showing their fig- 
ures to advantage. An oscillation of the lower 
part of the body, resembling a "Grecian bend," 
has a somewhat comical appearance, the hind 
part being thrown back and the hands placed on 
their stomachs, while their sides are jammed be- 
tween the next partners. The men, meanwhile, 
keep their legs and bodies constantly in motion 
by raising their feet in turns and swinging their 
lower extremities to and fro, thus imparting a 
uniform swaying movement along the whole line. 
The bottom couple then come to the top, the 
next follow in turn, and when all have resumed 
their places they pass round a bamboo-pipe, from 
Avhich each draws a few puffs of smoke, and after 
a short rest the dance is renewed with trifling 
alterations. 

The Hula (Kirapuno) dances are charmingly 
graceful and pleasing, surpassing in this respect 
many more civilized ones, and somewhat resem- 
ble a ballet. I will describe one I saw which 
took place during an interval, when the dancers 
just referred to were resting from their exer- 
tions. Four men stood at one end of the open 
space, each beating his drum and bending his 
knees to the sound about sixty times a minute, 
chanting meanwhile. At the opposite end four 
other dancers formed in Indian -file, and at a 
given signal came dancing toward their vis-d-vis 
with sliding movements, bending their lithe bod- 
ies in easy attitudes. Their chief dancer led the 
way, holding a drum high in the air, profusely 
decorated with hollow black seeds the size and 
shape of chestnuts, which gave out a clacking 
sound by knocking against one another. In his 
month he carried a charm, or kotsiva, to give 
grace to his actions, made of a split bamboo, six- 
teen inches long, burnt in various devices, and 



decorated with feathers. The same charm ac- 
companies tliem during war, to give strength 
and endurance ; only at dances it is carried hori- 
zontally, and in war perpendicularly, in their 
mouths. The remaining three dancers followed 
their accomplished leader, swaying their drums 
from side to side or fantastically above their 
heads, accompanying the sound by their voices, 
to which the nimble movements of their limbs 
kept time. They stood for some moments face 
to face, going through various evolutions, and 
then rested for a minute, afterward returning to 
their first position, when the performance was 
repeated by the four opposite dancers. 

The Motu have also a charm, which they use 
in dance and war, made of two rows of boars' 
tusks placed between a frame about twelve inches 
long, each row containing eleven sets of tusks, 
diminishing in size near the middle of the row, 
and having the convex side outward. During 
dances it is held by a piece of cloth which goes 
along the centre, and during fights it is suspend- 
ed from the mouth by a piece at either end. 
For many nights these festivities were kept up, 
the dancers only retiring at dawn of day. Eti- 
quette forbids married people among the Motu 
from taking part, except as observers, on these 
festive occasions ; nevertheless, I have seen this 
rule sometimes infringed by the men, but they 
generally get a good rating from their wives as 
a punishment for their misconduct on returning 
home. Quite a scene of this description took 
place one day in front of our tent. The woman 
was rating her husband so soundly that crowds 
collected to see what was the matter, when he, 
becoming wroth, took up a pole to strike her. 
However, before the blow could be administered, 
Kuba, one of the chiefs, who happened to be pres- 
ent (as he was almost always begging), rushed 
out and stopped it. Before going to dance, 
some of the best-looking girls would come to ask 
for tobacco, kuku, and would commence a short 
dance of their own accord in order to obtain 
some ; they danced so prettily that they gener- 
ally gained their ends, for we loved to see their 
harmless mirth. 

The faces of all who take part in the festivi- 
ties are freshly painted, and there was a great 
run upon our yellow ochre and vermilion. Some 
painted their faces with black stripes, or colored 
them entirely black, to denote different degiees 
of mourning. Many of the men wear a wieath 
of bird-of-paradise plumes upon their head, as 
well as the gaudy feathers of less beautiful birds, 
such as the parrot and cockatoo ; and the varie- 
gated leaves of the croton, the single hibiscus, 
and sweet-scented herbs frequently decorate the 
body. They also wear ornaments from the shell 
Tridacna gigas, resembling a pair of horns, pass- 
ed through the septum of the nose. They are 
very vain, tightening or drawing in the waist to 
an extraordinary degree with a stiff bark belt, 
or kava, from two to three inches wide, fastened 
injuriously tight. The men do this like English 
ladies of the present day, and with the same view 
of attracting admiration, but to a much greater 
extreme, and in this respect the women here 
leave nature's charms alone. The girth of a boy 
I measured was only one foot nine inches round 
his waist, while his flesh two inches above and 
below bulged out to two feet four inches, quite 
disfiguring the shape of his body according to iny 
ideas, though not to his own. This proportion, 
however, is somewhat exceptional, although the 
length to which even these uncivilized people will 
go to for the sake of appearing swells is aston- 
ishing. Armlets are worn quite as tight, and the 
pain that the women must undergo while being 
tattooed cannot be small, notwithstanding they 
assured me the contrary. White shell armlets, 
cut from the species Turhinida are much valued, 
and I remarked that those who possess only one 
wear it always on the left arm. A native in full 
dancing costume wears a bird-of-paradise head- 
dress, a belt of native cloth, with one end dan- 
gling ; a quantity of shell as well as kangaroo 
and dogs'-tooth ornaments round his neck ; some 
plaited bracelets and armlets, with crotons and 
flowers to adorn them, and carries a drum in his 
hand. These are generally dispensed with in 
ordinary times. 



During the daytime the women of each vil- 
lage devoted themselves to making pottery in 
great quantities for the foreign canoes to take 
away, and some of the youngsteis showed their 
skill in making little model canoes, very good 
imitations of the originals, which were quite the 
fashion for a time. With these the small fry 
might be seen amusing themselves in the water 
all day long, and holding Liliputian regattas. 
To hear their merry shouts did one's heart good ; 
it was as much as to say, "I want no better 
land to live in. Where should I be so happy 
as splashing in the sunny waters with my little 
boat ?" Other children have small bows and ar- 
rows to play with, whips that they are fond of 
cracking ; and even the babies have a few sea- 
shells given them by their doting parents in or- 
der to keep them quiet. The women, in particu- 
lar, have great affection for their children, and 
may frequently be seen swinging the baby back- 
ward and forward in a net-bag suspended from 
a beam beneath the veranda. At other times 
the babies are carried on their arms or in the 
above net -bag, or kiapa. The Motu men are 
employed chiefly in hunting wallabies, or mikanis 
(a small species of kangaroo), in digging and at- 
tending to the fencing of their plantations, in 
making twine from the fibre of the pandanus-leaf, 
and nets for various purposes ; also in manufact- 
uring body ornaments, in wiiich they are assist- 
ed by the women and children, and last, but not 
least, in smoking. 

• They have a measure equalling nearly one 
fathom, called dimun, measured by the out- 
stretched arms, as in Polynesia. Their year 
consists of thirteen months, calculated from the 
new moons ; but it is not subdivided, excepting 
into half-years, named respectively after the 
north-west and south-east monsoons. 

Each tree, shrub, flower, or particular kind of 
grass is distinctly named, as well as the winds 
and many of the stars. This alone shows some 
little advance toward civilization ; and their ia- 
quisitiveness concerning any new thing they see 
or hear marks them as an intelligent race rather* 
than otherwise. A custom universally respected 
prohibits a man from entering the house of a 
woman whose husband is absent — rather a re- 
markable point of propriety for a savage. 

With regard to the population of the penin- 
sula, it is of course impossible for me to give 
more than a very rough estimate of the number 
it contains. Supposing the villages on the coast 
to average four miles apart (the distance between 
them varies from one village in thiity miles to 
three villages in half a mile), and each to con- 
tain sixty houses, and six inhabitants to each 
house, with a coast-line of eight hundred miles, 
not allowing for numerous minor indentations, 
it would give a coast population of 72,000. The 
inland villages are thinly scattered, and not so 
large. The largest we have seen did not con- 
taiti more than fifteen houses. Dividing the Koi- 
ari country into sections of ten miles square, 
we might find ten villages in each containing the 
same number of houses, which, with an average 
of six inhabitants per house, would give us a 
population of 600 to 100 square miles ; or, tak- 
ing the area of the peninsula at 21,000 square 
miles, would give an inland population of 120,000. 
If this be added to the sea-coast population, it 
will make the total population of the peninsula 
198,000. On the hypothesis that the whole of 
New Guinea, covering an area of some 250,000 
square miles, is peopled in the same proportion 
(though the parts explored are so far proved 
more thinly populated), we should find this, the 
largest island in the world, to contain not quite 
2,500,000 of inhabitants. 

During our stay here we were brought into 
contact with no less than six tribes. It is im- 
possible to say how many the peninsula contains ; 
but I will give an idea of the position of the six 
principal tribes we met, commencing with the 
most northerly : 

1. The Ilema tribe, inhabiting the coast from 
Muro, a little north of Freshwater Bay, as far as 
Oiabu, situated about ten miles above Yule Island 
(Laval), distance fifty miles. 

2. The Maiva tribe, inhabiting the coast from 
Oiabu to Kapatsi, situated to the west of the 



20 



A EEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



Manumanu (Usborne) River, distance forty-five vate themselves. No reception -houses are set I increasing every moment by men from Tanapata 



miles 

3. The Motu tribe, whose territory extends 
along the coast from Kapatsi to Kapakapa (close 
to Round Head), distance sixty miles. 

4. The Koitapu tribe, living on eminences 
overlooking the sea, and occupying the country 
of the Motu. 

5. The Kirapuno tribe, extending along the 
sea-coast from Kapakapa to Muru, distance for- 
ty miles. 

6. The mountain tribe, called Koiari by the 
Motu, and Kuni by the Kirapuno, occupying a 
large area in the interior, whose limits are un- 
certain. 

North-west of and adjoining Ilema is the Na- 
mau-Papuan tribe spoken of by the Motu as can- 
nibals. 

The Ilemas combine several characteristics of 
the light and dark races, and are of a color be- 
tween the two. They are not cannibals like the 
dark Papuans, but they eat the flesh of dogs and 
rats, unlike the lighter tribes, who hold such food 
in contempt. As among the Papuans, polygamy 
is not uncommon. Like them, too, their princi- 
pal weapon is the bow and arrow, but it is infe- 
rior in workmanship. Indeed, the more docile 
of the two races inhabiting this great island is 
almost ignorant of figure - carving ; while the 
more savage race possesses great natural talent 
for carving, coloring, and imitation. The drum 
of the Papuans is a real work of art, compared 
with which that of the Motus is very poor and 
insignificant. The shields used by the Ilema 
tribe have a nick cut in the top for the left arm 
to pass through while holding the bow. They 
are oval, made of wood about two feet six inches 
long and one foot six inches wide, profusely oi'- 
namented with red, white, and black devices, and 
are attached to the shoulder by a sling. 

The Ilema stone club is peculiar to the tribe. 
The head resembles a large blackberry, six inch- 
es long, and is fastened firmly to a wooden han- 
dle. That used by the Koiari is a more deadly- 
looking weapon, and in every sense more strik- 
ing. The stone head in this is cut, or rather 
ground with immense labor, into four long, sharp 
points, with two small points between each long 
one. A blow dealt with comparatively small force 
by this star-shaped instrument is sufficient to 
cause severe snttering, if not immediate death. 
Another plainer form is also used. 

Before the lakatois left the harbor, some of 
the Koiari from the neighborhood of Ipikaii came 
down to purchase sago from the Ilema. They 
had intended to remain some days, but finding 
the Hula people, with whom they are on bad 
terms, also here, they returned early the follow- 
ing morning for fear of being attacked by their 
enemies. With the exception of the hostility 
between the inhabitants of Hula (the Kirapuno) 
and the Koiaris or Koitapus, I know of no act- 
ual enmity between any of the tribes, although 
none possess a perfect feeling of security in the 
country of another, for what reason I am unable 
to say, as, judging from those cases which came 
under my own observation, they always appear 
to be hospitably treated. It is certain that the 
inland tribe is regarded even by the Motu with 
superstitious dread, notwithstanding that peace 
was formally made between them a couple of 
years previously. 

Each village has its own great chief, or loia- 
pata, and one minor chief to, on an average, ev- 
ery hundred inhabitants, who are usually between 
forty and sixty years of age. Their authority 
is, however, very limited ; nor can I find that the 
distinction is hereditary, but is given to those 
who have distinguished themselves by some act 
of prowess, as well as to others who have gained 
respect by their good common-sense or superior 
wisdom. Except by the weight of their counsel, 
and the veneration their age may inspire, they are 
powerless either to command, to punish, to quell 
a disturbance, or to make war ; the women as 
well as the men have alia voice in these matters. 
Notwithstanding, their advice is generally taken 
in any matter concerning the interest of the vil- 
lage, or in any personal dispute. They receive 
no tax or tribute from the people, but as a rule 
own a larger portion of land, which they culti- 



apart for visitors by the Motu, Koiari, or Koita- 
pu, as is the case among the Maiva, so that it 
becomes the duty of the chief to lodge and en- 
tertain strangers, who expect to be treated with 
equal hospitality when they go inland, or make 
journeys in their canoes along the sea-coast. On 
such occasions many of the inhabitants go out 
either on foot or by boat to meet and welcome 
the strangers ; and when they leave, after a few 
days or weeks, the chiefs accompany them for a 
short distance on their way back. 

Clnistmas-day soon came round again (my 
last had been spent at Babylon, while on my pres- 
ent travels), and my thoughts involuntarily turned 
to the scenes of merry-making in our own dear 
land — the crisp frost and snow, the cheerful fire- 
side, and our loved ones gathered around, per- 
chance wondering what we were doing on that 
day. What a change is Christmas-day in New 
Guinea! — the thermometer standing at 100° in 
the shade at mid-day, none of your home circle 
around, but in their place a lot of naked, unciv- 
ilized aborigines, begging constantly for kuku ! 
Happily the half-hundred-weight of tobacco I 
brought was drawing to an end, so that my vis- 
itors were not quite so numerous as heretofore. 



and Ilivara. The women took a leading part, 
their shiill voices being heard above the excited 
tones of the men. Accompanied by Hargrave, 
I went down to the village to see what it was all 
about, and on our way we heaid that a woman 
had been murdered by her husband. It was this 
report that had raised the indignation of the na- 
tives, and had it proved true there is little doubt 
her husband would have shared a similar fate 
at the hands of the infuriated mob. It was a 
strange sight to see about six hundred wild- 
looking people, with sinews starting from their 
bodies, and eyes of fire, swaying to and fro, each 
eager to obtain a forward place. They made 
room for us as well as they could, and we jostled 
our way among them. On being convinced that 
the woman was still alive, the men quieted down 
considerably ; but the women, and particularly 
one old hag (the sight of whom nearly turned me 
sick), still continued to speeciiify to the crowd. 
All tliis disturbance was in consequence of a man 
having two wives who couldn't agree! It proved 
the wisdom of the Motu in thinking one quite 
sufficient. The man had only recently married 
his second wife, and the first, not approving, had 
been actively engaged during the last two days 



Out of twenty-eight pounds of red beads I brought, j in destroying her husband's plantation, for which 
only three or four remained, so that I had to be ; labor of love she had received a severe chastise- 
as sparing of them as possible. | ment, though she had not been killed. 

As we had become somewhat tired of tinned \ This reminds me of a story once told me by 
meats and kangaroo, we tiied to purchase a pig ; my dragoman on the Nile, an Aiab. He had 



from the natives for our Christmas dinner ; but 
though we could not succeed at first, yet after a 
good deal of bai'gaining, in which it seemed to 
me half the population took part, we triumphed, 
^rhis and a plum -pudding, together with some 
Bass's ale, did not constitute a bad Christmas 
dinner, and we enjoyed it accordingly. 

Not many days afterward Hargrave went out 
shooting at the foot of Mount Tapaharti, and to 
our surprise and delight returned laden with part 
of another pig — as much as he could carry. He 
had killed it while roving in the long grass, and 
did not stop to think whether it was a wild or 
tame one. The following morning, however, 
two claimants put in an appearance as owners 
of the pig; and in the afternoon we saw several 
natives, as well as the man we afterward found 
to be the rightful owner, coming toward us in a 
determined attitude with clubs and spears. Mo.st 
of the men carry the latter when they leave their 
village, for the chance of killing a stray kangaroo, 
so we thought nothing of the spears ; but the 
clubs presented an unusual appearance. Two or 
three of the leaders were very much excited, and 
spoke so loudly that, not knowing what was 
coming next, we buckled on our revolvers, and, 
backed by the others, I went out with my violin, 
hoping to appease their anger. The effect of a 
few scrapes was astonishing, and reminded me 
of David playing on the harp before Saul, " when 
the evil spirit was upon him :" "David took an 
harp, and played with his hand ; so Saul was re- 
freshed, and was well, and the evil spirit depart- 
ed from him." The men were at once quieted, 
and listened to reason — to come for payment 
in two days, should the lost pig not be found in 
the interval, and then remained to hear anoth- 
er scrape on the unmusical instrument. It was 
wonderful how many people seemed to have lost 
a pig just about that particular time ; some 
brought their friends with them to try to identi- 
fy portions of it, after they were cooked. The 
word huruma, pig, was in every one's mouth, 
eclipsing for the time being that of kuku, tobac- 
co. The real owner, not finding his lost treas- 
ure, came with a crowd of his friends at the time 
appointed for payment, which consisted of one 
pearl - shell, one "hatchet, two knives, one red 
handkerchief, three sticks of twist tobacco, and 
a quarter-pound of red beads. 

Buying a pig is very much like buying a wife 
in this part of the world, the price being nearly 
similar. 

A few days after Christmas we heard a great 
row in Anuapata, and wondered what was the 
matter. Men and women were rushing about, 
the former armed with clubs, spears, and bows 



married a second wife while his first was living. 
He bought wife No. 2 in Nubia, for forty pounds ; 
but his first wife so ill-used and bruised her that 
he thought to himself, "If I keep her any long- 
er, she will be so scratched and ugly that I shall 
be unable to sell her for as much as I gave." He 
disposed of her, and so did my New Guinea 
friend. 

CHAPTER XIII. 

A THIP TO BARUNI. MUEDER COMMITTED. 

THREATENING ASPECT OF THE NATIVES. 

COLONIZATION. MY DEPARTURE. 

"King out the Old, ring in the New, 
King happy bells across the snow." 

The New Year was not ushered in as the 
above lines describe, with sounds of joy and 
gladness ; nothing whatever occurred to remind 
us that we had entered upon another year, and 
that we must henceforth regard the old one in a 
retrospective light only. 

On that day (1st of January) Hargrave ac- 
companied me in a canoe to the Koitapu village 
of Baruni, overlooking Fairfax Harbor, and we 
were punted thither by the sons of Hini, the Tan- 
apata chief. A small native canoe like that we 
used is called a vanaki, and is hollowed by stone 
hatchets and fire out of a solid trunk, and point- 
ed at each end. It has a small platform firmly 
fixed across the middle, projecting six feet over 
the water on one side, the extremity of which is 
supported by a floating beam, also pointed at 
each end. This arrangement keeps the boat, 
which would otherwise be very likely to capsize, 
quite steady, and allows sitting room for a small 
family. We had a very pleasant trip, for our 
companions were jolly fellows, singing, joking, 
and smoking by turns all the way. While at 
Baruni, I became the owner of a little land in 
the neighborhood, about twenty-eight acres, con- 
taining plumbago, or okor, on and beneath its 
surface, and twent3'-two acres of adjoining man- 
groves. The former plot of land was too rocky 
and barren for cultivation, and was therefore 
useless to the natives. The members of each 
family possess plots of land near their own homes, 
the boundaries of which are clearly defined, and 
a man named Kemikamika and a woman named 
Mapata were found to be the rightful owners. 

An idea of the value of land, in the estimation 
of the natives, may be had from the miscellaneous 
nature of ray payment, which I will mention for 
curiosity's sake, as it is probably the first trans- 
action "of the kind in this terra incognita. It 
consisted of two hatchets, four knives, twelve feet 
of turkev-red serge, four red handkerchiefs, two 



a7d arrows,"andthe"latter wi'th'impromptu logs | pounds of red beads twenty -eight sticks of to- 
of wood and stout poles ; and their number was \ bacco, four looking-glasses, and one pearl-shell. 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



21 



On the 6th of January, Broadbent had a se- 
vere attack of intermittent fever and ague, which 
increased in severity, and completely prostrated 
him ; Petterd remained very weak ; the mission- 
ary himself was suffering from the same com- 
plaint, as well as Euatoka, the native Polj'iiesian 
teacher, his wife, and the three widows. It was 
pitiable to see them. Although neither Har- 
gi-ave nor myself were actually ill, we never felt 
so well as in other climates ; the nature of the 
atmosphere is very relaxing, though the land 
about Port Moresby is hilly, and free From 
swamps. To the number of deaths among the 
Polynesian teachers I have already referred. 

Two of the Hula trading canoes returned to 
the village of Papakori, six miles away, on the 
14th, and the same night a Koitapu man was 
murdered there. He was returning home to 
Patsiri, a village near, when this act was com- 
mitted. He was speared through the body, and 
his head carried away by the murderers. On 
hearing this, the Koitapuites rushed affrighted 
from Patsiri, accompanied by several from other 
villages, in great alarm at the Hula canoes which 
contained their enemies. As soon as the canoes 
had left Papakori, the natives returned to Patsiri, 
and finding no one to kill in revenge among their 
assailants, put to death the widow of the mur- 
dered man ! I refused for some time to credit 
such a story, but found it true ; the widow proved, 
moreover, to be a Motu, a tribe which was friend- 
ly with the Koitapus. The following day many 
natives from Port Moresby went overland to Pat- 
siri, taking with them some extra weapons, but 
returned the same evening without having made 
a disturbance, having calmed their passions hy 
merely looking at the dead bodies. It was rather 
fortunate for us that the villages near were so de- 
serted on that particular day, for an incident oc- 
curred in the morning which roused the remain- 
ing natives into a state of great anger; and at one 
time we were rather fearful of the consequences. 
A maliciously disposed native dog had been eat- 
ing up two of the teacher's chickens, and in con- 
sequence of this the teacher had shot the animal. 
I was away at the time, but returned soon after- 
ward, and saw several natives coming up the hill 
gesticulating violently, evidently very much ex- 
cited. I was at the door of Euatoka, the teach- 
er's grass house, when they arrived, he himself 
being a short distance off. The leader stood be- 
fore me, mad with rage, and was just about to 
shoot an arrow, when Ruatoka pounced upon him 
from behind, and after a scufHe succeeded in 
wrenching his weapon from him. Knowing at 
the time nothing about the story, the conduct of 
the natives surprised me. I thought the man was 
about to shoot me, but afterward found that his 
arrow was intended to hit some fowls underneath 
the house of the teacher, the floor of which was 
raised above the ground, in revenge for the loss 
of the dog. Euatoka ran quickly by me into his 
house, where he deposited the bow and arrows ; 
the leader followed, and was endeavoring to force 
his way, when I stopped him. and sent hira flying 
down the steps again faster than he approved of. 
Picking up a large piece of pottery that happened 
to be near, he hurled it at the door with such 
force as to split it. The dog that had been killed 
happened to belong to Hini, the Tanapata chief, 
and this leader was his eldest son. A younger 
son carried a firebrand, threatening to burn the 
house, but we took it away as quickly as possible ; 
a third son was armed with a club and several 
spears. Euatoka, a fellow more bra^•e than dis- 
creet, on hearing his door split, went out, and de- 
fied any of the crowd to touch him. Meanwhile 
the leader had stealthily entered his house at the 
back, and was on the point of regaining his bow 
and arrows, when Hargrave stopped him and 
turned him out again. He then snatched the 
club from his brother, and, being wrath with us 
for knocking him down the steps, was about to 
rush at us, -when some of the women held him 
back, and disarmed him. Hini himself happened 
to return from his plantation just at this period 
of the proceedings, and witli considerable dex- 
terity counterfeited being in a towering rage. 
He jumped about, ejaculated at tiie top of his 
voice, and smacked his posterior with gi-eat vigor 
at the end of each sentence. Finally, as though 



angry with all the people and with his sons in 
particular, he snatched their weapons and flung 
them to a distance. By this time I had got my 
violin and was scraping away, and among my 
audience I shortly perceived Hini's three sons, 
who had cooled down, and with the rest were 
quietly listening in ecstasy to its unmelodious 
squeaks. Again, as I played, the evil spirit de- 
parted. And so ended the disturbance. 

In the evening mj' old friend Koawagiia and 
other Koiaris from the district of Mimikaira paid 
us a visit. They had come to make purchases, 
but were afraid to remain more than one day on 
account of the Hula people, so intended to re- 
turn on the morrow. The huge chief seemed 
as hearty and laughed as much as ever, almost 
making the ground tremble beneath him ; all 
were much struck by the novelty of the dift'erent 
things they saw. "They were so eager to obtain 
a pickle-bottle full of white salt they saw, that I 
made them a present of it, as well as some boxes 
of matches, etc., much to their delight. Koawa- 
gira told me that if we ever went to Munikaira 
again, he would give us plenty to eat, for we 
were his best friends. 

A few days afterward Hargrave and I went 
in a canoe on a fishing excursion in the harbor, 
not, however, with nets, but with dynamite, as we 
wished to show the natives who accompanied us 
a new method of catching fish. A fuse was ap- 
plied to the cartridge and thrown into the water, 
and the tide accidentally carried us slowly to- 
ward the spot. In half a minute the lighted 
fuse (which burns under water) had reached the 
paste, and the shock caused by the explosion 
sounded so much like a sledge-hammer striking 
the bottom of our canoe that we expected to 
have found it cracked all along. The natives 
lay down flat in the boat as though shot. It 
killed all the small fish, numbering about a 
score, within a radius of half a dozen j'ards, and 
we had still greater success afterward. 

The heavy rains that now took place almost 
every evening had caused the withered grass to 
look quite green, and to vegetate so rapidly that 
in the five weeks since our return from the inte- 
rior it had grown no less than between two and 
three feet. A journey inland would be, there- 
fore, doubly tedious at this time of the year. 
Not only this, but much of the grass had gone 
to latter, and the latter, being barbed like a fish- 
hook, pierces one's trousers as he walks through 
the grass, and remains there, so that each seed 
has to be separately withdrawn. I have been 
covered with hundreds during a short walk, and 
the sensation I experienced was like so many 
pins digging into my flesh. On this account I 
do not recommend this season for attempting a 
journey inland, but rather July or August. Af- 
ter the grass has grown to its present height kan- 
garoos cannot easily be seen, and shooting them 
becomes a matter of still greater difficulty than 
at other seasons of the year. 

We had been expecting the little missionary 
vessel for some days, and when the Ellengowan 
at last hove in sight, on the 20tli of January, we 
were glad to welcome her. She had been de- 
tained owing to an accident to the screw-shaft 
during her voyage up the Fly River, from which 
she had just returned with the Eev. S. Macfar- 
lane, after a successful journey of one hundred 
and fifty miles, since which time the ]iver has 
been ascended by Signor d'Albertis, in a steam- 
launch, a distance of three hundred miles. The 
country bordering that river is, even at so great 
a distance from the sea, lo^v, and more or less 
swamp}', like that in the neighborhood of the 
Baxter. The result of the exploration of the 
Fly River has been (like that of the Baxter) un- 
satisfactory, so far as the idea of colonizing is 
concerned. "It is," says Dr. Bennett, of Syd- 
ney, to whom Signor d'Albertis first wrote an 
account of his journey, "certainly a fine stream, 
but practically leads to nothing, and the country 
on both sides for hundreds of miles is miserable, 
useless, pestiferous swamp. Moreover, the few 
natives who manage to live along its banks are 
evidently implacably hostile." It is quite evi- 
dent, therefore, that New Guinea is totally unfit 
for settlement in that quarter. There have late- 
ly been serious thoughts of colonizing the island, 



and the climate of the country is an important 
consideration. I have already given certain sta- 
tistics which may not be thought encouraging, 
but the deatlis alluded to are confined to the 
colored natives of Polynesia. It is geneiallv 
admitted that Europeans can withstand the fatal 
effects of illness caused by changes of climate 
better than most dark races, and consequently 
recover from many diseases which are fatal to 
the latter. Still, the coast of the peninsula, 
though chiefly high land and comparatively free 
from swamps, cannot be called healthy for Eu- 
ropeans. The climate of the mountain district 
farther inland would, I feel convinced, be found 
far superior, and it is there that the soil would 
best repay the labor of cultivation. Even along 
the sea-coast the danger is greatly lessened if 
proper precautions are taken in having well-ven- 
tilated houses, good diet, and stimulants only in 
moderation. 

I quite believe that the inhabitants themselves 
are sufficiently intelligent to be capable of great- 
I er civilization ; but to effect this change too 
much care cannot be exercised. Any large or 
sudden influx, without its motive being perfectly 
understood, would either be resisted by force, or 
else drive the inhabitants from their own homes 
and plantations into the interior, only to result 
in their extermination, as is the case now among 
the aborigines of Australia. Of all modes of 
colonization among an untutored people, I con- 
ceive that to be the best which is attained by 
peaceable means, which, while not permitting in- 
subordination, yet exercises gentleness, and which 
allows the people, whether white or black, to 
have some interest in the government. It has 
been contended that the Dutch system is one of 
oppression, if not of slavery ; but I am unable 
to agree with that opinion. To me it is an ar- 
gument in its favor that it obliges an indolent 
people, even against their will, to become tillers 
of the soil, so as to render them useful members 
of society ; and after a little time they them- 
selves reap the advantage, are happier, possess 
better homes, and all are benefited. Such is the 
case with the eighteen million inhabitants of Java 
under the Dutch, and a system that can accom- 
plish this end is not one to be lightly regarded. 

To return to my narrative. The day was 
drawing near for me to leave New Guinea. Ex- 
cept the specimens of natural history and curios- 
ities I had collected, there was little for me to 
take away, for I wished to give everything I had 
left to the Polynesian native teachers, as some 
acknowledgment for their kindness to myself and 
party. The corn-flour had not been used at all, 
excepting by sundry rats who appeared to relish 
this new import. This, with two sacks of rice, 
some flour, biscuits, and brown sugar, a dozen 
pounds of gunpowder, and a few other trifles, 
weie the principal articles of my parting presents 
to the teachers. 

The 25th of January was fixed for our final 
departure, and on that day natives from all the 
neighboring villages flocked to take leave of us. 
To the chiefs I made parting presents ; and to 
old Ila, the king, I gave my travelling-rug, whose 
many colors had so taken his fancy in by-gone 
days. Even Hini, the Tanapata chief, whom I 
so greatly offended by thrusting out of my tent 
when I found him carrying away my corkscrew, 
came to say good-bye. It was a sad and mourn- 
ful parting from these wild-looking iut friendly 
people, who in their own rough, untutored manner 
came to take a last look at us who had befriend- 
ed them during our residence among them, had 
taught them so many wonderful things, and given 
them so many beautiful presents. My eyes half 
filled with tears as both men and women cluster- 
ed round me, and held out their hands in triie 
English style, to be shaken. On saying good-bye 
to the Polynesian native teachers tliey seemed 
greatly moved, and some were even in tears. 
So with a sad heart I bade farewell to New 
Guinea, and the many friends whom I was leav- 
ing. It was a truly affecting parting, and one 
that, though I cannot describe, I shall never for- 
get. The natives voluntarily assisted in carrying 
my packages to the boat, and as the golden sun 
dipped into the sea I stepped from the land of 
New Guinea into the frail craft, and pushed off 



22 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



to the Ellengowan, where we slept that night, to 
be ready for an early start in the moining. 

At break of day I was awakened by the clank- 
ing of the chains as the sailors were hoisting an- 
chor. On reaching deck, I was surprised to find 
that old 11a had taken it into his head to come 
and see me. In his hands he carried a head- 
dress made of bird-of-paradise feathers, which I 
anticipated he intended to give me as a parting 
remembrance ; but though they are an affection- 
ate, yet they are by no means a generous, race. 
Hence the great man had come at that early 
hour with the twofold purpose of saying " Good- 
bye " again and doing trade ; but as I declined 
to give him anything for the head-dress, he was 
obliged to take it back again. Before leaving, 
the old man gave me a good hug, which was 
disagreeably rough ; he brought his nose in vio- 
lent contact with my own, and rubbed his olfac- 
tory organ against mine, in token of affection, 
saying tlie next time I came to Anuapata he 
would go with me to my country. " Well, old 
lia," thought I, " whatever thy good traits, telling 
the truth is certainly not one of them, neither 
is generosity I Better, however, to be a friend, 
although ungenerous, than a generous enemy, 
and thou miglitest have been the latter. With 
all thy faults, therefore. King of the Motu, I like 
thee still, and feel that, should my earthly pil- 
grimage again lead me to the country of thy 
birth, I shall again find a friend in thee." 

The screw revolved, the canoe paddled back, 
and we were off. 

CHAPTER XIV. 

RETTJRK TO EOEO. — TURNING TURTLE. WEL- 
COME BACK TO AUSTRALI.V. 

The day was cloudless, and the sea like glass 
as we set sail, and in the afternoon we anchored 
in Hall Sound, off Yule Island (Laval). Scarce- 
ly bad we arrived there, when Dr. James, an 
American (who had previously been doctor on 
board the sailing-ship Chevert during her unsuc- 
cessful attempt to reach the Fly River), and his 
assistant, came in a canoe to see us. Both look- 
ed mightily changed in appearance since they 
landed there three months before. Then they 
were in the most robust health, but now they 
were so emaciated, and altered by attacks of 
fever and ague, and insufficient nourishment in 
consequence of having run short of provisions, 
that at first sigiit I scarcely recognized them. 
In addition to fever, his assistant was suffering 
from a large soi'e on the calf of his leg, caused 
by knocking it against a mangrove root, the se- 
verity of which had increased daily, until it had 
become serious. Indeed, he was altogether so 
nnwell as to make it necessary for him to return 
■with us, and we took him on board, leaving the 
doctor a fresh supply of food. The seeds of the 
disease from which they were now suffering were 
no doubt first implanted in the system while they 
were crossing the mangrove swamps, which are 
common on the neighboring coast. 

In consequence of the leakage of the ship's 
boiler, we remained at anchor the following day, 
and I went on shore and dined with the doctor 
in a new grass house he had just completed. 
The next day, as we were about to start, the 
boiler began to leak again more than ever, and 
we were obliged to remain that day also. It 
afforded us the novel spectacle of a marvellous 
swarm of butterflies, so numerous as almost to 
darken the air, all flying in the same direction. 

On the 29th we bade farewell to Dr. James. 
He was joined a few weeks afterward by a Swede 
named Thorngren, who owned a small sailing- 
boat, and to whom I have before alluded as be- 
ing fond of adventure, and the discoverer of the 
Manumanu River (the Usborne of Captain Mores- 
by). Poor fellows, they were soon destined to 
an untimely end, for both were murdered short- 
ly afterward. They went across at an early hour 
to the main -land in Thorngren's boat, with a 
crew of seven natives from the islands of Torres 
Straits. The crew state that just before day- 
light two canoes full of New Guinea men were 
seen approaching the boat ; they thereupon ask- 
ed Thorngren for fire-arms, but he, thinking 



they were merely coming to trade, refused to 
give them. While Dr. James and Thorngren 
were trading, a native suddenly struck the latter 
with a club, smashing his skull, and knocking 
him overboard. Dr. James shot one man with 
his revolver, but was almost immediately thrust 
through with a spear and killed. The boat's 
crew then got their guns, and succeeded in beat- 
ing off their assailants, after two of their number 
had been speared. Whether or not any provo- 
cation had first been given by Dr. James it is 
impossible to say, but if so, the natives, as we 
have seen before, are not slow to resent any 
supposed injury, although otherwise not un- 
friendly. 

The next day we anchored off Bramble Cay, 
a mere sand-bank rising only a few feet out of 
the water, about half a mile across, and sparsely 
covered with rank weeds, but growing nothing 
else. Upon it was a turtle-shell fishing-station, 
belonging to an enterprising South Sea Islander, 
commonly known as Black Peter. A couple of 
Queensland natives, who looked very wretched, 
and lived in a roughly constructed mat hut, had 
been left in charge, and were the sole occupants 
of this desolate island. Two kinds of turtle are 
found there, namely, the Hawkspur and theGreen. 
Of these the Hawkspur is the most valuable, on 
account of its beautiful mottled shell, so gener- 
ally admired, used for ornamental purposes. The 
green turtle is most numerous ; the flesh of the 
two species is equally good, and constitutes, with 
a sort of dog biscuit, the chief diet of those who 
are left in charge of the station. We requested 
tlie men to save us the next couple of turtle they 
saw, to take back to Somerset, and then returned 
to the Ellengowan. Early in the morning we 
saw a signal flag flying to inform us that this 
had been accomplished, so we pulled to shore, 
and found not only two but five immense ones 
awaiting us. Each must have weighed a couple 
of hundred-weight, and measured five feet long. 
Altogether we traced the footprints of about 
thirty turtle, that had been up the sand - bank 
during the night to deposit their eggs. We also 
procured three bucketfuls of eggs from as many 
nests, which were made two feet beneath the 
surface of the sand. These eggs are perfectly 
round, about two inches across, the external shell 
being quite soft, like a white skin. The yolk 
when boiled tastes like that of a hen's egg, but 
the white is oily, and has a fishy flavor. Several 
sharks were swimming in close proximity to the 
shores, while flocks of sea-gulls and other birds 
rent the air with their piercing shrieks. Having 
landed our turtle safely on the little steamer, we 
proceeded on our way, and anchored in the even- 
ing off Rennel Island, protected from a troubled 
sea by the extensive reefs that surround it. In 
no part of the world have I seen the phosphores- 
cence of the water so great as here. The whole 
sea was illuminated, like a huge city lit up by so 
many gas-jets of great brilliancy — a most won- 
drous and beautiful spectacle on so dark a night. 
Only one light glimmered at intervals from among 
the low trees growing on the island, probably the 
camp-fire of some temporary resident from one 
of the neighboring islands, as Rennel itself is un- 
inhabited. 

After a rough passage on the following day, 
we took refuge in the evening under the shadow 
of Mount Adolphus, only seven miles from our 
destination, Somerset, where we arrived safely on 
the 2d of February, and were immediately wel- 
comed back by Mr. and Mrs. Macfarlane, who 
were as glad to see us again as we were to see 
them. To Mr. Macfarlane, no less than to his 
wife, who rendered my stay in Somerset so pleas- 
ant and instructive, and owing to whose kind as- 
sistance my contemplated journey in New Guinea 
became a reality, I tender here my grateful ac- 
knowledgments. 

In conclusion, I would observe that, however 
much has been done of late years in the opening 
np of New Guinea, yet the main body of it still 
remains a terra incognita, and I should like to 
see our Government organizing an expedition 
into its inmost recesses. The pecuniary diffi- 
culty of such an enterprise is the most formida- 
ble obstacle ; nevertheless, it would not probably 



entail the tenth part of the expense of an Arctic 
expedition. 

I shall now remain content with hoping that I 
have been able to give some information which 
may not be wholly useless to future travellers ia 
that great land where so much of interest yet 
remains to be explored. My desire is, that who- 
ever may travel there may establish no less 
friendly relations with the inhabitants than I 
have done. 

In bidding farewell to these shores, I thought 
with delight of returning to my native land. 
In whatever strange lands I may wander, the 
memories of my own loved country, of the beau- 
ty of its scenery and its fair inhabitants, can 
never be effaced from my mind by all the glories 
of sunnier climes. 

"Breathes there the man with soul so dead. 
Who never to himself hath said, 

This ie my own, my native laud 1 
Whose heart hath ne'er within him bnrn'd, 
As home hi8 footsteps he hath turn'd, 

From wandering on a foreigu strand I" 



APPENDIX. 

The following list of Motu words Las been 
spelled on the French system of orthography, and 
compiled with as much accuracy as it was pos- 
sible to do under the circumstances. It must, 
however, be understood that its complete accu- 
racy cannot be guaranteed, and therefore it is 
given, such as it is, in the hopes that many words 
will be found among it useful to future travellers 
in that part of New Guinea. 

Pronounce a as r, e as i, i as e, « as oo, and each letter 
separately. 

Bowl, dihii, nao. 

Boy, miro. 

Branch, liki. 

Break, v. , m umuta, makhoi. 

Breast (of woman), rata. 

Breathe, v., haodi. 

Bring, v., mailaia. 

- forth, mala. ■ 
Broken, niaka, kuaitu. 
Brother (elder), kokirn. 

- (younger), tadina. 
Burn, kapua. 

- (pottery), v., tunutltnu. 
Bury, kuri. 
Bush (burnt), vakoZo. 
Butterfly, kaubehi. 
By-and-by, kerukem. 



Above, atai. 

Alive, mav/ri. 

All, lokola. 

Alhgator, uala. 

Alone, tipona. 

Ancestors, tuputana. 

Anchor, toko. 

Angry, patti. 

Another year, tmuneka. 

Ant, dimaili. 

Arm, ima. 

Armlet (white shell), tola. 

• (plaited), gana. 

Arrow, dipa. 
Ashamed, hemalai. 
Ashes, kahu. 
Assemble, apoua. 
Attention, hakedi. 
Awake, noka. 

B. 

Baby, kikina. 

Back, doru. 

Bad, tika, lolo. 

Bag (large netted), kiapa. 

(small netted), wain. 

Bald, hoho. 

Bale out water, v., ranosa. 

Bananas (bunch of), huhu. 

(single one), hukea. 

(a small but particular' 

ly good sort), unauna. 
(a larger and very good 

kind), akaru. 
(the common kind, not 

very good), Mku. 
Bandicoot, mata. 
Bark (for dyeing red), arai. 
Bat, niariboi. 
Bathe, v., dikti. 

another, v., adikua 

Beads, akev. 
Beetle, manumanu. 
Before, kuna. 
Beg, v., noinoi. 
Betel-nut, boitau. 
Bird, manu. 
Bird-of-paradise, lokoho. 

Bower, koaka. 

Butcher, gahuku. 

Black, koremakorema. 
Blacken (one's self), 

kuma, kavia. 
Black-lead, okor. 
Bladder, posi. 
Blister, Jiou. 
Blood, rara. 
Blow, v., ilia. 
Body, tau. 
Boil, v., tiMiua. 
Boiling, vaiaia. 
Bow, pesa. 



C. 

CJall, v., jioipoi, boi. 
Cane armlet, bakibaki. 

waistband, kaniva. 

Canoe (small), vanaki. 

— (slightly larger), atsi. 

— (large), akona. 

— (large trading, two or 
three tied together), laka- 
toi. 

Carry (on head), v., oraia. 

— (from forehead), v., di- 
hua. 

— (on shoulder), v., Auaia. 

— (child on neck), v., utua. 
Cassowary, kokokoko. 
Centipede, aia. 

Charm (stone), chirava.. 

— (boars' tusks, used in 
dance and war), kotsiva. 

— (tortoise-shell, used in 
dance and war), mxLsi- 
kuka. 

Chase, v., woaia. 

Chest (of man), kemi. 

Chicken, okottro, kokoroko. 

Chief, loia. 

Child (male), miro. 

- (female), kikeni. 
Children, natuna, natuku. 
Chin, atemn, adi. 
Chisel, or gouge, vatu. 
Clay, iaro. 
Clear, neka. 
Climber (a fearless one), ko- 

piauka. 
Clothing, tapua. 
Cloud, ori, takataka. 
Club (stone), gahi, munu- 

munu. 
Cocoa-nut, niu. 

(young), kalu, karu. ■ 

(expressed juice oi),mo- 

tua. 
(shell), keperi. 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUES'EA. 



23 



Cocoa-nnt (tree), Ufa. 

Cold (very), kerukeru. 

Coml), iduayi. 

Come, mai. 

Come here, ini mai. 

Cook, v., hamiito, natoa. 

Cork, potopa. 

Corkscrew (any instrument 
to bore holes), ihudu. 

Correct, ikudo. 

Cough, hua, kua. 

Country (cultivated near vil- 
lage), anua. 

Cover, v., huni. 

in, v., tahuni. 

Crab, hora. 

Crooked, kitkera. 

Croton (variegated), taraka. 

Crown of head, tupua. 

Cry (with tears), v., -vatoin. 

Cuckoo-pheasant, kimama- 
ka. 

Cup (of cocoa-nut shell), JsV. 

Cuscus, vaura. 

Cut, ivaia. 



D. 

Dagger (of bone), aurai. 
Dance (pleasure), mavaru. 

(war), kemrorauti. 

Day after to-morrow, vana- 

ka. 
after another, %inana- 

naka. 
Dazzling, kurokurona. 
Dead, mati. 
Descent, diho. 
Desire ({ooi),'v.,'boJca-otola. 
Ditferent, itau. 
DifBcult, matailamataila. 
Dig, v., keid, lualua. 
Digging-pole, isiva. 
Dirty, miro. 
Disease, hise. 
Disrespect, adikaia, laka- 

na. 
Distant, tautau. 
Division (of provisions, etc.), 

helaia. 
Dog, Una. 
Done, maeta. 
Don't know, setila. 
Door-way, ituala. 
Double, huilelua. 
Drag, v., tatalo. 
Draw (toward), v., veria. 
Drilling-machine, ibudu. 
Drink, inua. 
Drop, v., hetutulu. 
Drum, gaba. 
Dry, v., akaukaua, lalaia. 

kaiikiiu. 

Duck, uika. 

Dugong (a large fish), rui. 

Dust, mili. 

Dwell, noho. 



Ear, taia. 

Ear-rings, orari. 

Earth, tana. 

Earthen - ware cooking - pot, 

ura. 

pitcher, Tiordu. 

bowl, nao. 

Earthquake, laka. 
Eating, aniani. 
Enclose, v., kua. 
End, toko, tokona. 
Englishman, biritani. 
Enough, hoho, tsirkau. 
Even (to be), v., hahekele- 

keli. 
Eye, mata. 

Eyebrow, mata-ibuna. 
Eyelash, mata-launa. 
Eyelid, mata-kopina. 



Y. 

Face, vaira, vairana. 

Far (off), tautau. 
Father, tamana, tamaku. 
Fathom, rorha. 

, half, dimun. 

Fear, aunavio. 

Feast, aria. 

Fence, ala. 

Few, tamotamo. 

Fingers (three middle), do- 

dori, seno. 

(little), kuakikualci. 

Finished, vatain. 
Fire, laki, lahi. 
Firm (hard), auka. 
First, kuna. 
Fish, kuamima. 
Fish-hook, kiinai. 
Fish-net, reki. 
Fish-spear, knraut. 
Five days hence, unaneni- 

kailua. 



Flint, vesika. 

Flow (out), v., lalilali. 

Fly, Jao. 

Foliage, auturidobin. 

Follow, v., inuliku. 

Food, aniani. 

Foolish, kavakava. 

Foot, palapala. 

For you, oi emu. 

Forehead, vatlana. 

Forest, ittu. 

Four days hence, unatvikai. 

Fowl, kokoroko. 

Fragment, bona, bonana. 

Friend, turana, Tnaino. 

Frizzing-comb, iduari. 

Frontlet, kapa. 

F'ruit, huahua. 

— (rose-colored, in shape 
like an apple), maita. 

— (of mangrove), kavera. 

— (mango), yahi. 
Full, ekekibon, honu. 



G. 

Gall, autuna. 
Gape, V. , movamova. 
Generous, hali/iali, ariari. 
Girdle (women's fringe), 
rami. 

— (men's ordinary, of na- 
tive cloth), tsi. 

— (bark, for men), kava. 

— (black cane, for men), 
varai. 

Girl, haninlato, kekeni. 
Give, v., enia, eniku, ta/va- 

na. 
(Jo, lao, laoumu. 
Go out, v., boto. 
Good, namo. 
Good-morning, lau mai (lit. 

■'I come"). 

- night, mamahuta. 
Gourd (for lime), ahu. 
Great, pata. 
Ground, tano. 
Grow, v., vara. 
Gun, ipidi. 



H. 

Hair, lioui. 
Hammer, ikoko. 
Hammock, torto. 
Hand, ima. 
Hard, auka. 
Hatchet, ila. 

handle, halala. 

Have, v., apia. 
He, ia. 
Head, kuara. 

— cloth, moka, veribota. 
Hear, v. , kamonai. 
Heart, kutou. 
Heaven, kuba. 
Heavj', metau. 
Help, v., tulua. 
Herald, lava. 
Here, ini, iniseni. 
Hill, nesi. 
His, iana. 
Hole, matu. 
Hot, siahu, niu. 
House, rum a. 
How many, hitO: 
Hungry, itola. 



I, lau. 

I don't understand, lau ka- 

inonai lasi. 
Illness, tahula. 
Inattention, keporai. 
Infant (ra&\&),mero-kaluka- 

lu. 
Inland (to go), v., vareni. 
Inland, kuneki. 
Inside, lalona. 
Island, motujnotu. 
Itch, v., hinihini. 



J. 

Joke, T.,ibulebu. 



Kangaroo (male), mikani, 
tipari. 

— (female), miara. 

— call, fsiviro. 
Kidneys, nadinadi. 

Kiss (rubbing noses), v., ahe- 

rau. 
Knee, tui. 
Knife, kaia. 
Knot, kiiatua. 
Know, y.,dipa. 



Ladder, Tata. 

Lamp-biack, kuma. 

Land, anua. 

Language, kat'O. 

t&rge.paga. 

Last (in point of time), ka 

pia. 
Laugh, v., keri. 
Lay down, v., hiJcule. 
Leaf (from which tobacco is 

smoked), napira. 
Leak, piitaro. 
Left (side), lauri. 
Left (not brought), lakata- 

nia. 
Leg, ai.kumkum. 

, calf of, doku. 

Let it alone, mir. 
Liar, koikoi. 
Lick, v., tetnalia. 
Lift up, v.,keni. 
Light, tiali. 

(weight), halaka. 

Lightning, kvvaru. 

Lime, ahu. 

Linen, tabua. 

Lips, bibina. 

Listen, ■7.,hakala. 

Liver, ate. 

Lizard, vaboha. 

Loins, koekoe. 

Long ago, seni, taulakana. 

Look, v., iiai. 

down, v., igodio. 

up, v., gakaivi. 

Looking-glass, ivarivari. 
Lost, boio. 
Lungs, balaki. 



M. 

Make, v., karaia. 

Hale, maluam, 

Man, tau. 

Manucodia (a bird), galu. 

Many (people), utuma. 

Mat, kipai. 

Matter, hula. 

Measure, pepi. 

Melt, kekirepi. 

Mid-day, tubua. 

Milk (human), rata-ranu. 

Mind (the thoughts), aune- 

ka. 
Morning, tataru. 
Mosquito, namu. 
Mother, tinana, tiiiaku. 
Mother-in-law, lavana. 
Mountain, ororo. 
Mouth, utu. 
JIuch, tsirkau. 
My, laueku. 



N. 

Nail (finger), adakuk. 
(toe), vasakuk. 

(iron), kokokoko. 

Name, latana. 
Navel, huto. 

Near, kaikai, kailakaila. 
Neck, ketu, auki, aio. 

, stiff, lakalaka. 

Necklace (dogs' teeth), do- 
dom. 

(of small bell -shaped 

white seeds), kikita. 

(of small dark seeds), 

ubo. 

(of naasa shells), tau- 
tau. 
Nephew, wavan. 
Nervous, lakaka. 
Net (fishing), takai. 

bag (large), kiapa. 

bag (small), wain. 

New, tnatamata. 
Night, boi. 

chant, hehoni. 

No, las,i. 
Noise, lekena. 
Nose, udu. 

st\ck,rnakolo,mukora . 

Now, ari. 
Nurse, v., loHa. 



0. 

Object, v., kuvetieti. 
Old, kunana. 
Open, v., kehoa. 
Opossum, iiakira. 
Ornament (shells for head), 

bare, pariri, musimusi. 
- — - (kangaroo teeth for 

head), atoa, tora. 

(dogs' teeth), dodom. 

(boars' tusks, as brooch) , 

kokai. 



Ornament (or charm of boars' 

tusks), kotsir<i. 
(flat spiral shell, as 

brooch), bo. 
(cassowary feathers, for 

head), tiirubu. 
(fur of cuscus, for head), 

vaura. 
Orphan, ihaleha. 
Outside, mulimuli. 
Overhead, tupua. 
Oyster, agua. 



P. 

Pandanus-tree, kelekeli. 
Parents, tupuna. 
Parrot, kaekai. 
Pass (before a chief), v., 

hehikau. 
Patch, v., bania. 
Peace, main. 
Pearl-shell, mairi. 
People, taunimanima. 
Pick up, v., kokoa. 
Piece; v., kataia. 
Pig, buruma. 
Pigeon, bisini. 

(the crowned),i!M?iouia. 

Pillow, kina. 

Pipe, baubau, dhadi. 

Place, kapuna. 

Plait, bani. 

Plantation, uma. 

Plenty, siakau. 

Plumbago, okor. 

Pocket, vain. 

Poisonous root (used for 

catching fish), tuha. 
Posterior, tuitu, kunu. 
Pot (earthen- ware), hordu, 

ura. 
Potato (sweet), kamxitaho. 
Praise, v., anamoa. 
Preach, v., alolo. 
Precede, v., lakakuna. 
Pregnant, v., lokoloko. 
Present time, xata. 
Presently, toho. 
Pull, v., tavea, beri. 

up, v., botua, lakaia. 

Pupil of eye, mata-nadi- 

nadi. 
Push (with shoulder), v., 

eseti. 

— (with hands), v., doria. 
Put down, atoa. 



Quarrel, v., heat. 
Quick, halaka. 

— to do, v., isemanoka. 



E. 

Rain, medu, rumoa. 

Rash (illness), lali. 

Rat, bita. 

Red, kakakaka. 

Reed, silihu. 

Refuse, v., t<italoi. 

Rejoice, v., moali. 

Return, v., lou. 

Reverse side, mulina. 

Rheumatism, loki. 

Riches, kohu. 

Ripe, maki. 

Rise, v., toloidi. 

Roast, v., nonoa. 

Rob, v., kimakoi, vaholita. 

Rocks, moemoi. 

Roof, kuhi. 

Root (edible, of bananas), 

mala. 
Rope (large), mataboi. 
— (small), kuanau. 
Rose (china), vahuvahu. 
Rostrum (in front of chiefs' 

houses), toubo. 
Rotten, hukahuka. 
Rubbish, momo. 
Rudder, tali. 
Run away, v., heao. 



S. 

Sacred, helaka. 

Sat;o, rabir. 

Sail, hira. 

Salt, tamena. 

Sand-fly, teni. 

Satisfied (eating), boka- 

kuna. 
Scar, iiarovaro. 
Scratch, hekakulo. 
Scrotum, apo. 
Sea, tavara. 

— spirit, vaoha. 
Seeds, nadinadi. 
Send, v., siai. 
Separate (combatants, etc.), 

v., hetoko. 



Set up a thing, v., akinia. 

Shade, kerukeru, takahu. 

Shallow, kihoJio. 

Share, v., pava. 

Sharp, kanu. 

She, ia. 

Shell, bareko. 

Shield (wood), kesi. 

Shingle, miri. 

Shining, kevahi. 

Ship (large trading), lakatoi. 

Short, katoi, katoki. 

Shoulder, paka. 

Shout out, v., lolo. 

Show, v., amaoro. 

Shut, v., kowa. 

the door, ituala, kona. 

Side, hapa, kana. 

of body, lakalaka. 

(this), inikai. 

Similar, initomai, heto. 

Sing, v., ane, biresi, heoni. 

Sink, v., mutu. 

Sister, taihuna. 

Sit down, hilaidi. 

Skin, kopi. 

Skull, ged. 

Sky, kuba. 

Sleep, mahuta. 

Sleepy, latorai. 

Small, malaki. 

(very), dimuradimu- 

ra, titina. 
Smash, v., huari. 
Smell, v., iruai, bonaia. 
Smoke, ku,alau. 
Smooth, manatamanata. 
Snake, kaikai. 
Sneeze, v., asimana. 
Soft, manoka. 
Sole (of foot), palapala. 
Some days ago, itaunekai. 
Son (first-born), taukuna. 
Sore, toto. 
Space, taulo. 
Speak, v., kau, ireva. 
Spear, io. 
Spider, makelo. 
Spirit (with supposed power 

of killing), vata. 
Splice, v., hilikau; 
Split, palala. 

out, v., jjululua. 

Spoon, bedi. 
Squeal, kor. 
Squeeze, v., kikia. 
Squirrel (flying phalanx ari- 

el), nilisili. 
Squirt out, v., bobobobo. 
Stalk, kaiii. 
Stand, v., kini ginitoi. 

up, gin. 

Steal, v., henao. 
Sticks (bundle of), ahu. 
Sticky, kamo. 
Sting, kuria. 
Stink, v., botaka. 
Stomach, boka. 
Stone, nadi. 

(plumbago), okor. 

Stop, noho. 

Straight, maola. 

Street (or passage), ariara. 

Strike, v., kadia. 

foot against, v. , tutuhia. 

String, varu. 
Sti-ong, koata. 
Suck, v., inua. 
Sugar-cane, toho. 
Sun, diiia. 
Surprise, hinai. 
Swallow, v., atonoa. 
Sweep, v., taloa. 
Swim, v., nahu. 
S\ving, v., taupe. 
Sword-fish, pikeri. 
club, kareva. 



Take, v., laohaia. 

hack, v., loulaia. 

this. Qui apia. 

■ out, v., kokir. 

it away, lu w haia. 

Talk, V.J ereva, hula. 
Taro, talo. 
Taste, v., kavaia. 
Tattooed, revareva. 
Tea, vasiau. 
Teach, v., adipaia. 
Tear, v., apalalaia, talea. 
Teeth, isi. 

, double, katikati. 

Temples (of forehead), medi. 

Thanks, tvnabinaia. 

That's it, oia oibi. 

They, itiu. 

Thick, hutuna. 

Thigh, momu. 

Tiling, anina, kauna. 

This, iniii. 

Three days hence, vainane- 

n ikai. 
Throat, kato. 
Throw, v., tahor, hoioa. 



Throw away, v., mikir. 

down, v., hekuletupi. 

Thumb, senopata. 

Thunder, rahua. 

Thus, pamona. 

Tide (high), utupata, dodo, 

hakaru. 

(low), makasi. 

Tie, matai. 

round, v., hilipasa. 

Tob.icco, kuku. 
To-day, ariari. 
Toes, palakuaki. 
To-morrow, kerukeru, tepo- 

riri. 
Tongue, mala. 
To-night, anuaboi. 
Toothache, arituma. 
Track, tara, ariari. 
Tree, Jiau. 

Tremble, v., hentente. 
Tribe about Port Moresby, 

Motu. 

— scattered near coast, 
Koitapu. 

— south of the Motu, Ka- 
ripuno. 

— north of the Motu, Mai- 
va. 

— north of the Maiva, 
Hema. 

— in interior, Koiari. 
True, momokani. 
Trumpet (of shell), kibi. 
Truthful, munukaii. 

Turn (to look), v., keporai. 

over, atoahekilu, ba- 

raka. 
Turtle, matapudi. 

shell, gabori. 

Twins, hekapa. 



C. 



LTnder, henuai. 
Untie, y., luaia. 



Vegetable-marrow, oho. 
Veranda, deke. 
A"illage, anua. 
Vomit, v., mumuta. 



W. 

Wait, v., nahari. 

Walk, v., alakaia, loa. He- 

reka. 
War, ala-ala. 
Wasli, v., heloho. 
Watch, v., kimo. 
M^ater, rano. 

— hot, vaHahu. 
We, ai, ita. 
Weak, manoka. 
Weapon, kota. 
Weep, v., tai. 
Wet, palipali. 

^Vhat is the name of? leta- 

nataik f 
What is this ? taka f uta- 

nataf 
What will you give me '.' 

taka tarana f 
Where ? eti t iliseni t 

— are you going? oi c- 

laof 

— is your house? oiruin 

ilineni f 
Which, etea. 
Whisper, hemaunu. 
Whistle, ioka. 
White, kurokuro. 

— hair, buluka. 
Who, taika. 
NVhy, kuau. ' 
Widow, vapu. 
Widower, vato. 
Wife, tarana. 
Wind, Idihi. 

, S.E., laurapata, ui- 

tau. 

— , N.E., mirikin. 

— , S.W., tahodio. 

, N.W., lahara, lara. 

Woman, haini. 
Wood, reri. 
Wrecked, hulekau. 
Writing, levaleva. 



T. 

Tam, maho. 
Year, neka. 
Yes, oibi, io. 
Yesterday, varani. 
Y'ou (or thou), oi. 

— (pi.), umoi. 
Yon stay, I go, oi noho lau- 

lao. 
Y'ou two, laluaoti. 



24 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



COMPARISON OF WORDS IX VARIOUS XEW GUINEA AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDS DIALECTS. 

TTie same Remarks respecting the Pronunciation apxiXy to this List as to the foregoing. 



Alive 

Alligator 

All right 

Arm 

Arrow 

Back 

Bad 

Banana 

Beads 

Beetle , 

Betel-nut 

Bird 

Bird-of-paradise . 

Black 

Bring 

Brother 

Butterfly 

Canoe 

Cassowary 

Chest...." , 

Chief 

Child 

Chin 

Cloth 

Cocoa-nut 

Cold , 

Come 

Cough 

Croton 

Cuscus 

Cut. , 

Dance 

Dead 

Dog 

Drink 

Drum 

Dugong (a fish). . . 

Ear 

Earth 

Earthen-ware pot 

Enough 

Eye 

Eyebrows 

Face 

Father 

Fire 

Fish 

Fish-hook 

Fly 

Food 

Foot..' 

Fowl 

Friend 

Frizzing-pin 

Give 

Good 

Good-bve 

Great 

Gun 

Hair 

Hand 

Hatchet 

Head 

Hot 

House 

Kangaroo 

Knife 

Leg 

Lips 

Looking-glass.... 

Man 

Mosquito 

Mother 

Mountain 

Mouth 

Neck 

Xecklace 

Net 

No 

Nose 

Pearl-shell 

Pig 

Pipe 

Plumbago 

Rope 

Sago 

Ship 

Sister 

Sky 

Sleep 

Small 

Smoke 

Sneeze 

Sore 

Speak 

Spear 

Spoon 

Stand up 

Stomach 

Stone 

Sugar-cane 

Sun 

Sweet-potato 

Taro , 

Teeth 

Thunder 



TRIBES. 



More. 



mauri 

uala 

tonabinaia 

ima 

dipa 

dorn 

tika 

biku 

akev 

manumanu 

boitau 

manu 

lokoho 

koremakorema . 

mailai 

tatina 

kaubebe 

vanaki 

kokokoko 

kemi 

loia 

kikeni 

adi 

tabua 

niu 

keru 

mai 

hua 

taraka 

vaura 

ivaia 

mavaru 

mati 

tisia 

inna 

gaba 

rui 

taia 

tana 

hordu 

tsirkau 

raata 

ibnna 

vairana 

tamana 

laki 

kuaruma 

kim^ 

lao 

aniani 

palapala 

kokoroko 

maino 

iduari. 

hinia 

namo 

mamahuta 

pata 

ipidi 

houi 

ima 

Ua 

kuara 

siahu 

ruma 

mikani 

kaia 

ai 

bibina 

ivarivari 

tau 

namu 

tinana 

ororo 

udu 

auki 

tautau 

takai 

lasi 

udu 

main 

buruma 

baubau 

okor 

kuanau 

rabir 

lakatoi 

taihuna 

kuba 

mahuta 

malaki 

kualau 

asimana. 

toto 

ireva 

io 

bedi 

gin 

boka 

nadi 

toho 

dina 

taitu 

talo 

isi 

rahua 



KOITAPC. 



magori 

fugi 

moini 

ada 

diba 

didifie 

dauri 

uhi 

akev 

goaramika . . 

fara 

ngua 

fanava 

dubn 

morogo 

augorgi 

beberuki 

vanaki 

ia 

doka 

rofl 

maigoiki 

fatia 

dabua 

baga 

gogobenonu. 

orogo 

inotot 

vabi 

detoa 

rainu 

iavaia 

foika 

totoka 

ibeisa 

aie 

karavarava . 

ihiki 

vata 

foi 

dadaga 

mi 

negofi 

ni 

omami 

veni 

karava 

kimaina 

wonara 

tamuta 

vasifoatok. . . 
kokoroko . . . 

dibiak 

jeni 

amoi 

magi 

iagiso 

rafo 

ipidi , 

omohauaka . , 

ada 

uma 

omo 

vago 

iaga 

minu , 

rati 

vasi 

firua 

variva 

ata 

una 

onea 

nimu 

ava 

eno 

arasa 

takai 

vetia 

uri 



lagi 

oho 

ahadi 

ogo 

kuanagu. . 

ral)i 

iakatoi 

oamakeni. 

bata 

iagisu 

ovieki 

viniduka. . 

asiman 

iaki 

reva 

vaiga 

bedi 

urima 

varata 

muni 

imi 

veni 

vaia 

vatu 

egi 

nono 



kodi 

hue 

bilikava. . 

ada 

diba 

gadiva... 

tauri 

nfi 

agev 

bini 

fara 

ugu 

anava 

dubukn . . 
moloku . . 

itata 

ivako.... 
eu 



la 

doka. . . 

rofi 

maiau . 
haiava. 
ergo... 



daba 

ornia 

inotot 

romaka 

vadako 

mi 

koakia 

kanibu 

totoka 

etabomalodai. 

aie 

mesiarafo . . . . 

iviki 

vata 

foidu 

uita 

mi 

negofl 

ni 

imama 

veni 

mesia 

kimai 

bonika 

tamuta 

vasifoatok. . . . 

kokorogo 

dibiaka 

tubu 

moima 

maghi 

iagiso 

boki 

ipidi 

umu 

ada 

huma 

kina 

dobu 

iaga 

minu 

kavabu 

vasi 

fimata 

variva 

ata 

kunia. 

inia 

raha 

aua 

tui 

matatau 

koi 

vechi 

uri 

iagi 

ofova 

ahadi 

ogorta 

goite 

rabi 

iakatoi 

inana 

va 



lagia 

ramika . . . 
viniduk . . 

akisa 

baga 

worta 

vaiga 

kauwaka. 
uriama... 

detu 

muni .... 

imi 

vani 

boruka... 

vadu 

iki 

varau 



KiBAPtrso. 



kilalim . 

gim 

dipa 

dori 

tika . . . . 



am 

aiva , 

manumanu. . 

koki 

amo 

lokono 

ruparupa . . , 



haligu . . 
kaupipi . 



ai 

polavaia. . 

kofa 

veli 

iau 

lama 

nabora . . 

niu 

mokula . . 



gera... 
taraka . 
.ogula. 
boro . . . 
pala . . . 
mauri. . 
kuaia . . 



kaba. 



kia 

kuano . . 
koau . . . 

doa 

ma 

bailam . . 
paku . . . 
taihuna. 
kalova. . 
mani . . . 

nan 

nakam.. 
aniani . . 

agi 

oroun. . . 
maina . . 



henia 

namo 

mahu 

aukemkem. 

ipidi 

bui 

gima 

khokho 

repa 

amnmu. . . . 

numa 

warl 

pau 

agi 

pipina 

levapoa 

aug 

nemo 

tsinagu 

orloa 

utu 

aigona 

aio 



las 

idu 

mahi 

pai 

pau 

gum 

kuanau. 

lapia 

lakau . . . 
taihugu. 
inova . . . 
mau.. .. 

ein 

vilivili . . 

mati 

oma .... 
ilaila . . . 

olova 

kaki 

dugalai. 

bok 

niaro 

koma. .. 

aro 

aiu 

nahu 

ishi 



karia . . . . 

puaia 

haimoi.. . 

ima 

pnnu .... 
kepena . . 
aukianie . 



varupi 

amuraru 

ruro 

iaboi 

raboaraboa 

inehia 

kapiarupua . . . 

maiena 

atsiu. 

kaubebe 

vanaki 

uiva 

keraemo 

obihauni 

hoahoa 

uika 

puraia 

tona 

kopakiki 

omai 

hua 

taraka 

ebubne 

kaivana 

eva... 

kahori 

waia 

roia 

irarabu 

itunaipura . . 

haio 

kahano 

uroru 

ahua 

maha 

ibun 

vaira 

hamana 

Uuba 

maia 

kau 

raumokai . . . 
kahaniani... 

paipaia 

kokoroko . . . 



kobi 

moain 

aunamnki . . 

kaparue 

epauane . . . . 

kisi 

houikahe . . . 

imaka 

wapira 

kuara 

siabue 

itu 

itawa 

akiva 

ai 

bibina 

varivari. . . . . 



eusi 

hinahu . . . 

piara 

pipinakai . 

aiova 

movio 

rehi 

ohaim 

udumo 

mairi 

aipora . . . . 

ireri 

opo 

unau 

pario 

aunahoL . . 

hibu 

kauosi 

kaparua... 
koikoina . . 



asiman... 

toto 

kahavia. . 
aravaia . . 

tsima 

omikirie . 
nuaka . . . 
piara. . . . 
awauwa. . 
viraura . . 

haiu 

omoa 

niki 



Laval 
(Yaie I.). 



urai 

isafe 

asi 

bal 

forita 

koidi 

kakari... 

viai 

sirua 

kipi 

eferi 

on 

aha 

aroa 

avaia 

malakia. . 

bibi 

roti 

oiva 

haivai . . . 

soi 

bari 

hnari 

pura 

raha. 

vasisiri . . 
kuasai. . . 
ahuru . . . 
digosa . . . 
ovaka . . . 

soi 

ehadi 

iavati 

avi 

abura . . . 

apa 

bilali 

avato 

kausa . . . 

pasn 

peadia... 
omoparl . 
obukaf... 
omopa... 

uika 

aha 

tava 

faravu . . . 
oropia . . . 

api 

boro 

kokoro . . 
pomora . . 

kobi 

obirai 

meta 

iavadia . . 
vudaia . . . 

porsa 

tupi 

bai 

oa 



aro 

papafiria.. 

pura 

fitaru 

toi 

bora 

api 

favi 

bira 

apua 

namweka . 

naipi 

tau 

kikeau 

movio 

tohite 

la 

evera 

itavi 

ira 

kika 

aro 

koro 

pai 

oroti 

mari 

lai 

ibudu 



porsa 

forvortila.. 

asia 

isovi 

davau 

napibiro. . . 

arisa 

urai 

eri , 

favi 

asi 

sari 

ioka 

ma 

tau 

kevara 



maumnaun . 

busia 

loku 

imaka 

paki 

kape 

ikia 

warupi 

oho 

epidL 



rahorabo. . 

inechi 

ekuma 

maiena . . . 

hatsina 

ibibi 

vanaki 

bio 

ariareka . . 
aitaivan... 

muori 

atika 

abnni 

tona 

ama 

mnkaoma. 
tortsi 



bia 

aitaiwan . . 

ewa 

an 

waia 

be 

irarubu . . . 
tuniapu... 
haiaka.... 

hano 

roru 

inoku 

mahaka. . . 
maheki . . . 
wairaka. . . 
hamana. . . 

eluba 

maia 

naku 

hauroa 

am aniani. . 
palapala . . 
kokorohu . 
maino . . . . 

ini 

beni 

namona... 

tomia 

paian 

aitara 

buika 

imaka 

wapira.. .. 

araka 

mauru 

ita 

kobara 

akwa 

aima 

pinaka 

oriori 

hau 

enchi 

hinana.. .. 

oihoi 

pineka 

akoka 

owo 

rahi 

ahai 

ichuka 

mairi 

aiporu.. .. 
amahuna.. 
nmarobi . . 
honan .... 

pario 

hauiiahoi. . 
haibuna. . . 

biraura 

parua 

popona, . . . 

chiabu 

atchio 

tua 

avi 

halowai . . . 

be 

korochi . . . 
muwaka . . 

pitara 

abauwa . . . 

biraura 

hihu 

oboho 

iteka 

niro 



Machik 
(York I.). 



omagik . 

katal 

isoa 

git 

kaigob.. 

kal , 

watinga. 
katam . . . 
kusek . . . 



paiban.. 
kepuna . 
iawoa. . . 
kinga... 
gogai... 
ialbu . . . 
geta 



kuika. . 
koDga . 
utulag. 



urui 

dogiam . . . 
kubikubi. . 

napa 

tukuiab... 

kapa 

mekikula . 

sama 

kabu 

ladiak 

kazi 

hag 

angauali . . 

orab 

galalupa . . 

aia 

kubirk . . . 



Sana 

ladaik . . 
kapai . . . 
umim .. 
umai . . . 
wanika . 
arupa. 
dongan . 
krnsa... 
fada .... 



karanagri . 

dan 

boibisom.. 

paru 

baba 

mui 



wapi 

tudi 

bull 

prutika.. 

nara 

kalakala. 
tukuiab.. 



gitn 

nara 

iragu .... 
mariodai. 

girka 

iwi 

amau 

kisigan . . 

gud 

mudubu... 



hariek.. 

linga 

piti 

mai 

buruma. 
tirku . . . 



urn 

bis 

kegul 

beubeta 

jia 

iuna 

magidanga. 

wanika 

tiriap 

badi 

mulika 

klaka 

megi 

kataitinori. . 

niaita 

mata 

guru 

gega. 

nurinuri... 

gin 

dong 

gegi 



Ehcb 
(Daraley I.). 



nole. 

isnou. 

gem. 

kep. 

sorajia. 

adut. 

kaba. 

tafoakarub. 



iboa. 

goligoli. 

karimtika. 

nerabiat. 

kapa. 

nara. 

sama. 

maramut. 

isimi. 

verima. 

wali. 

ui. 

zirtu 

tobaka. 

kobirk. 

Sana. 

isimi. 

kapaL 

eomida. 

omai. 

irami. 

warupa. 

dnboa. 

laip. 

kala. 

raalili. 

naikema. 

ponia. 

musa. 

orba, 

apa. 

uri. 

lala. 

mekika. 

narigia. 

iroa. 

tetia. 

kalakala. 

tebuda. 

ikua. 

debia. 

bakiam. 

anle. 

sarika. 

mus. 

taga. 

daumitulik. 

kirema. 

uruiri. 

mita. 

koatilik. 

tetia. 

mit. 

piripiri. 

kimia. 

lak. 

apu. 

pasia. 

te. 

tabo. 

uiris. 

nole. 

pidi. 

mat 

buruma. 

zuba. 

leoba. 

lagia. 

kebsavis. 

aunara. 

biribirta. 

goligoli. 

ateidi. 

kebilt 

kemora. 

siau. 

badi. 

nagali. 

ikos. 

tiigalu. 

ikue. 

kem. 

pakia. 

niru. 

girigia. 

urugaba. 

gen. 

tirek. 

ziru. 



A FEW MONTHS IN NEW GUINEA. 



25 



COMPARISON OF WORDS IN VARIOUS NEW GUINEA AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDS DIALECTS— CoTi/mwerf. 



English. 



Tobacco 

Toes 

Tortoise-shell . 

Tree 

Turtle 

Village 

Walk 

Water 

Whistle 

White 

Woman 

Wood 

Yam 

Yes 

One 

Two 

Three 

Four 

Five 

Six 

Seven 

Eight 

Nine 

Ten 



TRIBES. 



MOTU. 



kukn 

palakuaki. 

gabori 

hau 

matapudi.. 

anua 

alakaia 

rano 

ioka 

kurokuro . 

haini 

rere 

maho 

oibi 

tamona..... 

lua 

toi , 

ana 

ima 

taratoi 

itu 

taurahan... 

ta 

kuauta 



KOITAPU. 



kuku 

vasi 

gebore 

ura 

raioga 

oroa 

nota 

ea 

figho 

kai 

maghi 

vasa 

tsina 

io 

igaku 

apu 

apikaka... 

apapu 

arakasiva . . 
agorukiva. , 
akirikava.. 

abueta 

ikogueta . . . 
utupi 



kuku 

gobinum. 
mimisa. . . 
idi 



raioa . 



orgo 

nota 

eita 

flho 

tauka 

maghi . . . . 

varo 

zina 

ireki 



igau 

abuti 

abiga 

ababu 

adakasira.. 
agorukia. . . 

abuesi 

igauet 

mefiriakan. 
uguaut 



KlRAPUNO. 



kuku 

koni 

ela 

lako 

aua' 

vanuka 

lao 

rana 

roa 

ulouloa 

vavina 

bua 

mahu 

oibi 

vapun 

lualu 

oio 

rairai 

imaim 

haulahoi 

mapiriauluvaiva . 

aulavaiva 

mefiriakan 

galan 



kukumeo.. 

kuakiri 

ava 

matsiu 

monu 

aiarai 

kahaiome . 
ve 



ioka 

tsivatsiva.. 
babina.. .. 

rere 

maho 

naiemolie . 

hamo 

perua 

vaiau 

vaui 

peima 

auraboi... 

pevika 

aravaia 

avaio 

harawai. . . 



kuku 

bora 

farava 

tora 

akieki 

oiabu 

abipara . . . . 

ma 

beo 

dogari 

ua 

tora 

maho 

oibi 

ritarita 

oraora 

oroito , 

kaidiapo . . . 

tsinabu 

hita 

hitu 

tauraha. . . . 

ta 

kuauta 







NUMERALS. 


1 Tamona, 




18 Kuauta - taura- 


2 Lua. 






han. 


3 Toi. 






19 Kuauta-ta. 


i Ana 






20 Buari. 


5 Ima. 






21 Ruari-tamona. 


6 Taratoi. 




30 Toi-aui. 


7 Itu. 






40 Ana-aui. 


8 Taurahan. 




60 Ima-aui. 


9 Ta. 






60 Taratoi-aui. 


10 K\iauta. 




70 Itu-aui. 


11 Kuauta-tamona. 


80 Ta-urahan-aui. 


12 Kuauta-lua 




90 Ta-aui. 


13 Kuauta-toi. 




100 Tinuta. • 


14 £uavta-ana 




101 Timita-tammia. 


15 Kuauta-ima 




1,000 Daha. 


16 Ktiauta-taratoi. 


10,000 Tomaka. 


17 Kuauta-itu. 




1,000,000 Ktrebu. 




NAMES OF 


PERSONS. 




Men. 




Women. 


Boi, meaning 


night. 


Anapata, meaning . 


Oaba, 




drum. 


Burama, '' pig. 


Hini, 






Giriki, " . 


Ila, 




hatchet. 


Hinaa, " thief. 


Inesi, 






Itola, " hungry. 


Koikoi, 




liar. 


Kari, " frighten- 


Kuba, 




sky. 


ed. 


Rova, 






Kewa, " . 


Vahu, 






Tika, " bad. 


Aaroni, 












NAMES OJ 


MONTHS. 


Uiranra, 


1st lunar month. 


Virtiiriiri, 8th Innar m'th. 


Koa, 


2d " 




Uria, 9th " " 


Laile, 


3d " 




Laga, 10th " " 


Tarotaro, 


4th " 




Manumauri, 11th " " 


Diraro, 


5th " 




Biliake, 12th " " 


Viati, 


6th " 




Biliapata, 13th " " 


Virdiado, 


7th " 







The following is a list of 116 species of birds, 
collected in the neighborhood of Anuapata (Port 
Moresby) between the months of October and 
February. Mr. Bowdler Sharpe, of the British 
Museum, to whom I submitted my collection, 
says : " This was at the time the largest series 
of birds obtained by any naturalist in south-east- 
■era New Guinea, and has not been outdone in 
interest by any of the collections since formed 
by the more recent travellers DAlbertis, Goldie, 
etc." Some were new to science : 



1. Astur cirrhocephalus. 

2. Astur sharpii. 

'A. Haliaetus leucogaster. 

4. Haliastur girreuera. 

5. Milvus afflnis. 

6. Bara reinwardti. 

7. Pandion leucocephalus. 

8. Strix delicatula. 

9. Plyctolophus triton. 

10. Microglossum aterri- 

mum. 

11. Geoffroyius aruensis. 

12. Cyclopsittacus suavissi- 

mus. 



Trichoglossus massena. 
Chalcopsittacus chlorop- 

terus. 
Eclectus polj-clilorus. 
Centropus nigricans. 
" menebeki. 
Eudynamis cyanocepha- 

la. 
Cacomantis assimilis. 
Scythrops novae-hoUan- 

diae. 
Ceyx solitaria. 
Alcyone lessoni. 
" pusilla. 



. Psendorectes ferruguie- 

us. 
Colluriocincla bruunea. 
. Chibia carbonaria. 
Oriolus striatus. 
Sphecotheres salvadorii. 
Paradisea raggiana. 
Manucodia atra. 
Phonygama jamesii. 
PtUorhis magnifica. 
GjTnnocorax senex. 
Corvus orru. 
Eulabes dumonti. 
Calornis cantoroides. 

" viridescens. 
. Artamus leucorhynchus. 
Donacola nigriceps. 
Ohalcophaps stephani. 

" chrysochlora. 
Carpophaga muelleri. 
" pinon. 

" zoeae. 

Carpophaga puella. 
lanthsenas albigularis. 
PtUopus iozonus. 

" aurantiifrons. 

" coronulatus. 
Gedlielia humeralis. 
Goura albertisi. 
Megapodius dupen;eyi. 
Talegallus fuscirostris. 
Synoecus cervinus. 
Lobivanellus miles. 
Charadrius fulvus. 
Numenius uropygialjs. 
Totanus brevipes. 
Actitis hypoleucus. 
Ardea sacra. 

flavicolhs. 
Rallina plumbeiventris. 
Gallinula ruficrissa. 
Porphyrio melanopte- 

rus. 
Parra cristata. 
Anas supereiliosa. 
Dendrocygna vagana. 
" guttata. 

Tadorna radjah. 
Sterna melanauchen. 
Phalacrocorax leuco- 
gaster. 



In the following list of camp equipments, pro- 
cured at Somerset, Australia, I have given, as 
reference for future travellers, the cost of each 
article. Some were purchased from passing 
steamers, some from the private missionary stores, 
and a few from the only public store tliere ; but 
the list does not comprise many articles previous- 
ly possessed : 



300 lbs. ship biscuits 3 

200 lbs. wheat-flour 1 

2 cwt. maize-flour 1 

1 cwt. rice 3 

1 cwt. brown sugar 1 

36 lbs. oatmeal 1 

12 lbs. tea 1 

6 lbs. arrowroot 

3 jars salt 

3 bottles vinegar 



24 


Halcyon sanctus. 


69. 


25 


" macleayi. 




26. 


Syma torotoro. 


70. 


27. 


Tanysiptera microrhyn- 


71. 




cha. 


72. 


28 


Tanysiptera sylvia. 


73. 


29 


Dacelo intermedins. 


74. 


30. 


" gaudichaudi. 


75. 


31. 


Rhytidoceros ruficoUis. 


76. 


32 


Eurystomus crassiros- 


77. 




tris. 


78. 


33. 


Podargus papuensis. 


79. 


34 


Caprimulgus raacrurus. 


80. 


35. 


Cypselus pacificus. 


81. 


36. 


Collocalia terrae - regi- 


82. 




nse. 


83. 


37. 


Pitta novae-guinese. 


84. 


38. 


Malurus albiscapulatus. 


85. 


39. 


Cistieola ruflceps. 


86. 


40. 


Gerygone cinerascens. 


87. 


41. 


" chrj'sogastra. 


88. 


42. 


.lEluroedus stonii. 


89. 


43. 


Chlaraydodera cervini- 


90. 




ventris. 


91. 


44. 


Dicseum rubrocorona- 


92. 




tum. 


93 


45. 


Cinnyris frenatus. 


94. 


46. 


Glyciphila modesta. 


95. 


47. 


Myzomela obscura. 


96. 


48. 


Tropidorhynchus novffi- 


97. 




gumeffi. 


98. 


49. 


Ptilotis analoga. 


99. 


bU. 


Melithreptus albigularis. 


100. 


61. 


Arses aruensis. 


101, 


52. 


Piezorhynchus aruensis. 


102. 


53. 


" guttulatus. 


103. 


64. 


" nitidus. 


104. 


55. 


Monarcha carinata. 


105 


56. 


Rhipidura tricolor. 


106. 


57. 


" gularis. 


107. 


68. 


Micraeca flavigastra. 


108. 


59. 


Todopsis bonapartii. 


109. 


60. 


Myiagra concinna. 




61. 


" latirostrls. 


no. 


62. 


Hirundo javanica. 


111. 


63. 


Cracticus mentalis. 


112. 


64. 


" cassicus. 


113. 


65. 


" quoyi. 


114. 


66. 


Graucalus hypoleucus. 


115. 


67. 


Lalage karu. 


116. 


68. 


" humeralis. 





S. 


d. 


12 





4 





15 











9 





3 





7 





5 





4 





3 






Laval 
(Yule I.). 



kuku 

deadu 

aba 

irauchi 

bonu 

aihira 

amakha 

bei 

bio 

auneawaiwa 

babin 

machin 

taha 

ei 

aia 

rua 

aita 

ban! 

ima 

abaraia 

abarua 

ababani 

ababanihamona . . 
haluvaia 



Macbik 
(York I.). 



sikuba 

dimoro 

kakera 

watara 

warn 

lago 

walaika 

muki 

watu 

miakali 

auak. 

wata 

kutai 

woa 

urapun 

kusa 

kusaurapun . . . 
Count no 
liigher. 



Erl'b 
(Damley I.). 



sokoba. 

tetera. 

kesa. 

sumisa. 

nam. 

geta. 

digemili. 

ni. 

kom. 

kargak. 

koskia. 

lo. 

levia. 

wau. 

netat. 

neisa. 

Count no 
higher. 



1 tin curry-powder 

1 tin mustard 

6 tins carrots. 

3 tins peas 

3 tins haricots 

3 tins butter 

36 tins preserve 

1 tin biscuits 

18 this lobster 

18 tins preserved milk* 

3 dozen tins assorted meats 

2 dozen tins sardines 

1 jar ginger 

6 jars anchovy paste. 

18 bottles pickles 

2 bottles Worcestershire sauces 

100 cigars 

1 case brandy 

2 dozen stout (Guinness's) 

5 dozen ale (Bass's) 

2 dozen claret 

1 dozen gin 

2 bottles castor-oil 

56 lbs. twist tobacco 

28 lbs. small red beads 

86 lbs. shot 

25 lbs. gunpowder 

20 boxes caps, 100 each 

45 yards red serge 

20 yards bleached calico 

2 dozen red neckerchiefs 

4 dozen looking-glasses 

3 dozen boxes of matches 

3 dozen 5-in. bush-knives 

2 dozen 6-in. " 

f dozen forks 

Sundry buttons, pins, needles, cotton, and 

thread 

12 packets flsh-hooks 

7 lbs. French nails 

Ink, paper, pens, and pencils 

1 double-barrel gun 

1 " " 

2 single-barrel guns 

1 camp oven 

^ dozen axes with handles 

1 dozen '" without handles 

1 English-made axe 

2 American axes 

1 chopper and saw combined 

2 bars round and hoop iron 

3 bars soap 

2 files 

1 pair canvas boots 

\ dozen straps 

1 cartridge-bag 

1 bushman's knife in sheath 

Tin plates, cups, and saucers 

1 gallon spirits of wine and tin 

1 ball of string and 1 of twine 

3 lbs. arsenical soap 

1 bottle quinine '. 

1 jar Epsom salts 

4 boxes Cockle's pills 

2 bottles chlorodyne 

Camphor, gmger, and oil 



£ J. 


d. 


9 





3 





16 


6 


4 


6 


4 


6 


1 8 





1 16 





7 





18 





1 7 





4 9 





1 





5 





7 


6 


1 4 





4 





12 





2 2 





1 10 





3 15 





3 10 





1 7 


6 


2 





3 14 


8 


2 9 





3 4 





4 7 


fi 


16 


8 


2 5 





8 


2 


12 





1 4 


a 


3 





1 4 





17 





1 


6 


6 





4 





3 


6 


4 


6 


4 10 





2 5 





2 10 





5 





7 





12 





1 


LO 


10 





2 


4 


5 





3 


9 


1 


6 


5 





4 


6 


3 


6 


3 





10 





10 





1 





6 





1 





5 


6 


6 





4 






6 



* The only article we ran short of, and felt it3 want. 



THK END. 



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1. ESTHEE PENNEFATHEE. 

By Alice Perrt. 8vo, Paper, 75 cents. 

A story of considerable strength and originality. — Christian Advo- 
cate, N. Y. 

Calculated to attract universal attention. Miss Perry has drawn a 
series of pictures that interest and fascinate. — Boston Transcript. 

2. JUSTINE'S LOVEES. 

8vo, Paper, 60 cents. 

One of its minor merits is a happy gift of expression, a knack of crys- 
tallizing a thought in its most compact, precise, and translucent form. 
—N. Y. Sun. 

A racy, vigorous, and strongly descriptive book. — Boston Post. 

3. MIEIAM'S HEEITAQE. 

A Story of the Delaware Eiver. By Alma Calder. 
8vo, Paper, 75 cents. 
It has many strong recommendations to favorable notice, but none 
more worthy than the pleasing unconventionality that distinguishes the 
conduct of the plot. — Saturday Evening Gazette, Boston. 
A story of rare attractiveness. — Pittsburgh Chronicle. 

4. MAG. 

A Story of To-Day. 8vo, Paper, 50 cents. 

Is entitled to a place among the most pleasing works of American 
fiction. — Rochester Express. 

It comes from a hand that is strong in dramatic portraiture. * * * 
Told with pleasing sprightliness. — N. Y. Evening Post. 

5. COLONEL DUNWODDIE, MILLIONAISE. 

A Story of To-Day. Svo, Paper, 75 cents. 

This story is one of high order and acknowledged merit. — New Bed- 
ford Standard. 

An American novel worth reading. * * * All the characters are alike 
strongly drawn, and the book is well written. — Cincinnati Commercial. 

6. KILEOaAN COTTAGE. 

By Matilda Despard. Svo, Paper, 60 cents. 

Full of pleasant incidents. It is sufficiently exciting to hold the at- 
tention of the most exacting novel-reader. — Albany .Journal. 

The story proceeds with steady interest until the close. The writer 
understands the making of a good story. — Jewish Messenger, N. Y. 



7. BLUSH EOSES. 

By Clara Francis Morse. Svo, Paper, 50 cents. 

Anything more natural and picturesque has not been written for a 
long time. — N. Y. Express. 

A fresh and sparkling story of foreign life in Paris, London, and 
Dresden. — Baltimore Gazette. 

8. OLD SLIP WAEEHOUSE. 

By Mart A. Denison. Svo, Paper, 60 cents. 

Written with more than ordinary power and eflfectiveness. * * * An 
interesting and attractive narrative. — Philadelphia Item. 

Filled with striking situations and rapidly recuning incidents. It is 
also spiced with entertaining dialogue. — Albany Press. 

9. LIKE UNTO LIKE. 

By Sherwood Bonner. Svo, Paper, 75 cents. 

One of the most ocigi'ial, brilliant, and natural novels of the day.^ 
Portland Press. 

It is the American story of the day par excellence. — Boston Tran- 
script. 

10. COUSIN POLLY'S GOLD MINE. 

By Mrs. A. E. Porter. Svo, Paper, 40 cents. 
A beautiful and varied picture of New England life. — N. Y. Mail. 
It has a very interesting plot and a healthful moral. * * * Lively and 
spirited. — Albany Press. 

11. THE VIEGINIANS IN TEXAS. 

A Story for Young Old Folks and Old Young Folks. By 
William M. Baker. Svo, Paper, 75 cts. {Nearly ready.) 
"In this exceedingly interesting novel, the author narrates the ad- 
ventures and experiences of a Virginian family that settled in Texas 
some time before the outbreak of the civil war, and weaves them into a 
story of peculiar fascination and power." 

12. CAPTAIN NELSON. 

A Eomance of Colonial Days. By Samuel Adams 

Drake. Svo, Paper, 75 cents, 
" This work, a historical romance of Boston at the time of the Eng- 
lish Revolution of 1688, directs attention to scenes hitherto neglected in 
American fiction. The author describes, with animation and dramatic 
power, the effects of the change of government from King James to Wil- 
liam of Orange, and presents a spirited and interesting story, which is 
pure in style, patriotic in tone, and in which history and romance are 
pleasantly blended." 



PcjBLisHED BY HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. 

Any of the above works sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the United States, on receipt of the price. 
^'■Marper's Library of American Fiction" will be supplied in half-leather binding, paper sides, at 25 cents, net, per volume, in 

addition to the price of iks respective volumes in paper covers. 



GEORGE A. LAWRENCE'S NOVELS. 



Anteros. 

8vo, Paper, 50 cents. 

A uovel of rare merit, wonderfally powerful and fascinating. 
The dramatis personce are true to life — tliorouglily natural — and 



the reader finds himself hoping, fearing, and grieving -with and 
for them. — N. Y. Herald- 



Brakespeare; 

Or, The Fortunes of a Free Lance. 8vo, Paper, 50 cents. 

An nndonbted success, and deserves to taiie a high rank among the mediaeval fictions, second only, perhaps, to the immortal crea- 
tions of Sir Walter Scott. — N. Y. Evening Post. 



Breaking a Butterfly ; 



Or, Blanche Ellerslie's Ending. 8vo, Paper, 35 cents. 

pure and elevated fiction, not fixmiliar with other publications of 
the same writer, will find a leisure hour or two most agreeably 
spent in the perusal of this little volume. — St. Louis Times. 



The many readers who have found such pleasure in the perusal 
of the previous works of this author will find, in this new emana- 
tion of a gifted pen, no less powerful a charm ; and the lovers of a 



Gkcy Livingstone ; 

Or, "Thorough." 12rao, Cloth, $1 50 ; 4to, Paper, 10 cents. 



Those who like a vigorous, masculine, exciting book, always 
strong and stirring, should read "Guy Livingstone." * * * The 
author writes peculiarly and powerfully. Whoever he may be, he 
is no common man. He writes like a master-hand, and is never 



too little for his subject. We advise all who are fond of an in- 
tensely interesting story, vividly drawn characters, a fresh and pe- 
culiar style, and a manly and vigorous tone, to take up "Guy Living- 
stone." We warrant they will read it " Thorough." — Boston Post. 



Hdga 



rene. 

Svo, Paper, 75 cents. 

May be read with interest and profit by many who, bound down 
and held fast by old, hard, and inherited notions, are just in need 
of the enlightenment it offers. — Pittsburgh Leader. 



"Hagareue" has a bold individuality of its own, and is never 
tiresome. There is no mistaking what the author means to say, 
or to make his characters say. — Utica Herald. 



Maurice Dering j 

Or, The Quadrilateral. Svo, Paper, 50 cents. 

The story before us describes the fortunes of four friends — the 
Quadrilateral. These four are from first to last one for all and all 
for one ; and, despite the strange things that happen, they never 
once swerve from the most affectionate and trusting friendship. 
The "Guy Livingstone" tone must be sufficiently well known to 



novel readers to make any description unnecessary. All is brill- 
iant and fascinating. In the first part of "Maurice Bering" the 
reader is held in ecstasy, as it were, by an affectionate, mauly grasp 
of the hand, but later on he starts to find himself fascinated. — U- 
lustrated Times, London. 



Sans Merci. 



Or, Kestrels and Falcons. Svo, Paper, 50 cents. 



A strong, healthy, and in all respects satisfactory work. It 
introduces several groups of well - contrasted characters, and, by 
a series of very exciting scenes, carries the reader onward, eager 



for the end, and at times impatient of the delays which defer the 
accomplishment of his desire. The book overflows with charac- 
ters and incidents. — Athenceum, London. 



Sword and Gown. 

Svo, Paper, 25 cents. 

We have risen from the perusal of this work with strangely 
eonflictiug emotions, amidst all of which rises predominant the 



conviction that it is a most powerful and heart-rending work.- 
Boston Courier. 



Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New Yoek. 



Any of the above works sent by mail, postage prepaid, to ant/ part of the .United States, on receipt of the jorice. 



MISS BRADDON'S NOVELS. 



Miss Braddon has always been justly praised for the originality and the dramatic intensity of her plots. Her style is 
brilliant and spirited; her books show a close observation of human nature, and a happy faculty in describing its deeper 
phases; and her invention leads her far from the track of conventionality. Her books are held in high esteem on the Con- 
tinent, and have been translated into almost every civilized tongue; while her talents have not been thought unworthy of 
analysis by some of the best French and German critics. She has written no book in which there are not evidences of unusual 
intellectual power. Though plot is evidently of leading importance in her eyes, she carefully elaborates her style, and closely 
studies her dramatis personce. — Saturday Evening Gazette, Boston. 

Miss Braddon is popular with novel-readers. She has the happy faculty of suiting all tastes — those who like to be con- 
ducted into fashionable society and " high life," as well as those who care nothing about the persons, but everything about the 
plot of a story. She is sensational without being vulgar, and interesting without being coarse. — Albany Evening Journal. 

Whether in "Aurora Floyd," "Fenton's Quest," "To the Bitter End," "Birds of Prey," or what not, her keen observa- 
tion /picturesque or graphic description, and powerful analysis of character and motive are recognized and universally admired. 
— Commonwealth, Boston. 

Miss Braddon's literary freshness is equalled only by her literary fertility, and deserves to be considered, as indeed it is, 
one of the wonders of the nineteenth century fiction. Perhaps it is this attribute of her genius — the novelty of the charm 
with which her successive works are invariably invested — which is the surest and most eloquent proof of the grasp and vigor 
of her intellectual powers. — The Hour, London. 

Miss Braddon always ■wields a vigorous and incisive pen, and could not possibly write a dull chapter or page. — Commercial 
Bulletin, Bcston. 

I Miss Braddon has contrived to preserve the constructive skill, the narrative vigor, and the power of description which 
gave additional attraction to the " sensation " of " Lady Audley's Secret," while at the same time she has attained to the higher 
mysteries of her craft. She has learned how to depict character with intense truth, and yet with an art which is triumphant 
because its processes are imperceptible, and only the result is presented to the reader. She has learned to be independent of 
mere incident in giving interest to her books ; and they are, in consequence, as superior to her fijst efforts as a sonata of 
Beethoven's to the music of Offenbach's last extravaganza. — Edinburgh Daily Review, 

There is a marvellous freshness about Miss Braddon. She writes so much and so often that one can only wonder to find 
ter writing so well. By all recognized rules, she ought long ago to have written herself out. As a matter of fact, however, 
her work seems to improve. — Athenaeum, London. 

Unquestionably Miss Braddon must be placed among the foremost novelists of the day. — Edinburgh Scotsman. 



AN OPEN VEEDIOT. 8vo, Paper, 35 cents. 

A STEANQE WOKLD. Svo, Paper, 40 cents. 

AUEOKA FLOYD. Svo, Paper, 40 cents. 

BIRDS or PREY, illustrated. Svo, Paper, 50 cents. 

BOUND TO JOHN COMPANY, illustrated, svo, 

Paper, 50 cents. 

CHARLOTTE'S INHERITANCE. Sequel to "BirHs 

of Prey." Svo, Paper, 35 cents. 

DEAD MEN'S SHOES. Svo, Paper, 40 cents. 

DEAD-SEA FRUIT, illustrated. Svo, Paper, 50 cents. 

ELEANOR'S VICTORY. Svo, Paper, 60 cents. 

;FENTON'S QUEST, illustrated. Svo, Paper, 50 cents. 

'HOSTAGES TO FORTUNE, illustrated. Svo, Paper, 
50 cents. 



JOHN MARCHMONT'S LEGACY, svo, Paper, 50 

cents. 

JOSHUA HAGGARD'S DAUGHTER, illustrated. 

Svo, Paper, 50 cents. 
LOST FOR LOVE, illustrated. Svo, Paper, 50 cents. 
PUBLICANS AND SINNERS. Svo, Paper, 50 cents. 

STRANGERS AND PILGRIMS, ui'd. svo, Paper, 50 cts. 

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WILKIE COLLINS'S NOVELS. 



Wilkie Collins tas no living superior m the art of construct- 
ing a story. Others may equal if not surpass him in the de- 
lineation of character, or in the use of a story for the develop- 
ment of social theories, or for the redress of a wrong: asainst 
humanity and civilization; but in his own domain he stands 
alone, without a rival. * * * He holds that " the main element 
in the attraction of all stories is the interest of curiosity and 
the excitement of surprise." Other writers had discovered 
this before Collins; but recognizing the clumsiness of the con- 
trivances in use by inferior authors, he essays, by artistic and 
conscientious use of the same materials and similar devices, to 
captivate his readers. — JV. Y. Evening Post. 

Of all the living writers of English fiction, no one better un- 
derstands the art of story-telling than Wilkie Collins. He has 
a faculty of coloring the mystery of a plot, exciting terror, 
pity, curiosity, and other passions, such as belongs to few, if 
any, of his confreres. His style, too, is singularly appropriate 
— less forced and artificial than the average modern novelists- 
— Boston Transcript, 



We cannot call to mind any novelist or romancer of past 
times whose constructive powers fairly can be placed above 
his. He is a literary artist, and a great one too, and he al- 
ways takes his readers with him. — Boston Traveller. 

Mr. Collins is certainly the one master of his school of fic- 
tion, and the greatest constructionist living. His plots are 
marvels of ingenuity, and his incidents reach the height of the 
dramatic. — N. Y. Evening Mail. 

Mr. Collins possesses the art of fixing his reader's attention 
throughout the whole of a narrative of intrigue, in a higher 
degree, perhaps, than any other English novelist. — Aihenceum, 
London. 

In deep and marvellous plot he is perfect master, and in this 
respect stands at the head of modern novelists. — Commercial 
Bulletin, Boston. 

That Collins is without an equal in the power of construct- 
ing a story whose close it will defy an expert to foretell, which 
will please by its surprises, its pure, strong diction, and its dra- 
matic power, has long been unquestioned. — Utica Herald. 



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ANTONINA; OR, THE FALL OF ROME. 

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ARMADALE. 

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MAN AND W^IFE. 

8vo, Paper, Illustrated, 60 cents ; 4to, Paper, 15 cents. 

MY LADY'S MONEY. 

32mo, Paper, 25 cents, 

NO NAME. 

Illustrated by John M'Lenan. 8vo, Paper, 60 cents. 

PERCY AND THE PROPHET. 

32mo, Paper, 20 cents. 



POOR MISS FINCH. 

Illustrated. 8vo, Paper, 60 cents. 

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ILLUSTRATED LIBRARY EDITION. 

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AFTER DARK, AND OTHER STORIES. 



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MY MISCELLANIES. 

NO NAME. 



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